Twisting Paths of Twilight
by RockBane
Summary: As Greymon and Parrotmon disappear, a young Takato and Gigimon appear. The Kamiya family gains another goggle head. Can Takato escape the plans GranDracmon has for him and Guilmon? Or will evil gain a new face? Complete!
1. Portals and Destinies

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 1

Soon the light vanishes as does the monsters that had been battling before on the street and a boy with a red stuff animal lies on the ground before two kids. Then the girl around the boy's age begins to call out, "Don't you want to play with me?! Greymon!" The older boy looks first at his sister and then over at the young boy with his stuff animal. Confusion is plastid on his face as he looks up into the sky, the rising sun appearing over the horizon.

(-Takato-)

He groans as Gigimon dives head first into the bowl of cereal. His adopted sister just giggles and he just shakes his head in frustration. He turns to see if Tai has woken up from all of the noise they were making. He smiles slightly at the position Tai's sleeping in on the couch.

He then turns as Gigimon proudly proclaims, "Done!" He touches the yellow goggles that are roped around his neck. He bites his lip to keep from laughing at the mess that the little red Digimon made. He glances over to Kari and finds that his sister's smile is a bit sad. He moves closer to his sister and asks, "What's wrong?" Red eyes meet and Kari says, "I think I'm coming down with a cold." He looks sad and he glances at Gigimon before saying, "Are you sure?" His sister nods and he just sighs. "I can stay home to keep you company." He adds sincerely.

His 'twin' sister smiles and says, "Thanks, but I think you should go anyway." He says, "It's not like Gigimon and I can have any real fun with us worrying about you." His sister smiles and nods as they turn to find Gigimon currently trying to get cereal from the box by walking into the opening, but the opening is small and tight so the little Digimon couldn't squeeze in to get more cereal from the box. Soon they were giggling at this and he picks up the red Digimon. "You're a bottomless pit, you know that?" He says to his partner. "Yip! You keep telling me that, Takatomon." Gigimon states as he holds the Digimon in his arms. Kari picks up the cereal box as she takes the bowl to the sink.

He turns to glance at the TV and sighs as he notices the monsters on the screen. Tomorrow is when camp starts and if Kari is ok for tomorrow, they'd be going with their older brother. He feels Gigimon moves around as he holds him. "Quit it, Gigimon. You can't do anything about it!" He says sharply. Gigimon stops and sighs in defeat.

Another one appears outside the window and then fades within a minute of appearing. He turns to look at Kari and then moves to the kitchen. He lets Gigimon onto the counter as he sits on the stool. He notices an invitation to a birthday party a dressed to the 'twins', Kari and Takato. He shakes his head at the word twin. Kari and he weren't twins, though they have the same reddish brown eyes and brown hair. He kind of showed up after this disaster that occurred at Highton View Terrace and the police thought that he was a sibling to Tai and Kari. Within the week, Tai and Kari's parents adopted him and they then moved to their current apartment.

Once Kari and him started school most of the kids at school took one look at them and decided that they were twins. Also didn't help that he also wears goggles similar to what Tai wears, his were yellow while Tai's were white. They had once tried to straighten the kids out about how they were related, but they rarely got to the part about him being adopted.

He rests his head on his arms as Gigimon snores softly. He just lets his thoughts drift to the dreams he has. He kind of wonders why they feel so real…

)-()-(

He watches as Kari holds onto the little Digimon as they both sleep. It's real late, but he just couldn't sleep. He looks towards a particular spot on the desk in the room he shares with his adopted sister. He sighs and walks over and pulls the box towards him, he then picks it up and walks out of the room as quietly as he could.

Once in the living room, he opened up the box. He looks at the weird white and gold device resting on some old pictures he drew once upon a time. He picks it up and smiles at it as he moves it around in his hands, he places it down by his side and then picks up the alter weird card deck that lies within the book. He opens the pocket up and looks through the cards within.

'_I still don't get it, how come some of those monsters look similar to some of these cards? Are they Digimon too, like Gigimon? If so, then why don't they seem solid?'_ He thinks to himself as he glances at the cards with pictures of Digimon. The other cards seem to be modify cards; he didn't know just what they're used for though. He sighs and put the cards back into the card pocket.

He frowns and can't shake the feeling that something was about to happen, something big. He glances at the pack of cards and then at the odd device. He touches the goggles around his neck as he looks thoughtful between the two items. He sighs and puts the lid back onto the box. He then places the two items on top of the box.

He then walked back into the bedroom with the box in his hands. He sets the box onto the desk and the grabs the two items. He then rolls up the front of his shirt and places the device and the card deck into the fold. With one hand holding the top of the fold, he climbs up the latter to the top bunk. Once he's done, he straightens out his shirt and the two items fall out. He then goes about covering himself with the blankets. He clutches the device in his left hand.

He drifts off into a dream that kind of seems like a memory. He sees this humanoid golden fox battling this fire cat monster. He notices the red head that's wearing a trench coat. He tries to focus on the girl, but he can't seem to make out the face. It wasn't long before the fox beats the fire cat and he watches as the fire monster breaks apart. The bits that once were the fire cat began to flow towards the fox.

He gasps as the dream ends. His breath is rapid and shallow as he tries to make sense of what happened during that dream. He looks out the window, knowing that it'll be a while before he can go back to sleep again.

)-(

"Takato. Takato!" A voice says as he's being shaken. "Tai?" He says tiredly and looks up into the concerned face of his adopted older brother. "Late night, little bro?" Tai asks with a bit of worry in his eyes. "I couldn't sleep and then I had this weird dream." He answers softly as he loses the battle to keep his eyes open.

"Guess I'm the only one going camping." Tai says and he only grunts something unintelligent as he drifts into slumber land. His just do tired…

(-Tai-)

He smiles at the slumbering form of his adopted little brother. _'It seems that both Kari and Takato won't be joining me today. Well, I just hope they'll be ok on their own. Mom and dad are going to visit grandma today too.'_ He thinks to himself as he gets down off the latter.

Kari's got a little cold and was fast asleep, holding on tightly to the red pushy toy that Kari and Takato love so much. He sighs and wonders how long it'll take them to get pass the stage of being dependant on the stuff toy that they called Gigimon. He would admit that there was something about the red pushy toy that often made him wonder if he might not hallucinating went at times he thought that the toy might be responsible for food disappearing.

Sighing, he closes the door and turns around. He picks up his pack and walks out of the apartment. He was uneasy about leaving the pair alone at home, but then, he really wanted to go to camp. _'I'll make it up to them later.'_ He tells himself as he waits for the elevator.

)-(

Despite being afraid, he still charges forward with his partner at his heels. His thoughts drift to his younger siblings that he left in the real world. He want's nothing more to see them again, to hold them, to see their happy faces once more.

"Greymon Digivolve to… MetalGreymon!" His partner cries out and he grins in relief and feels more confident that they will win against Etemon, even if the Digimon was merged with the huge black ball of negative energy. "We can win this, we are _destined_ to win this. Get him MetalGreymon!" He shouts the last part as he tones out Etemon's voice. "Giga Blaster!" MetalGreymon roars out as the chest plate opens and two organic looking bombs shot out of the chest and towards the black wired mesh that is the dark network.

He cheers as the missiles hit and soon corrupt the huge wiry ball of black cables. His cheers are cut short as it doesn't stop the pull that the negative energy started. His partner does try to keep him from getting sucked in, but in the end, they both were pulled into the dimensional hole created by the dark network.

He blinks and finds himself standing with Koromon under his arm. He's within a park with many people going on about their lives as he stands there. "This looks like my home town." He says slowly and softly. "You mean we might be in your world?" Koromon asks. "Maybe." He says, unsure as to what to make of this turn of events.

(-Takato-)

"Something crossed over." Kari's voice says close to his ear. His eyes open up wide and ask, "Are you sure?" Kari nods and she looks by the window. Kari moves and he sits up to glance at his partner. Gigimon seemed so… seldom by the window. He sighs and looks around to check the time.

He sighs as he realises that he missed out on going camping. Kari is already climbing down the latter and he stops as his hands hit something. He looks puzzled at the device and then at the deck of cards, until he remembers how they got here, in his bed. He sighs and picks the two things up and calls out to Kari, "Here, catch!" Kari catches the two items and he grins his thanks to his sister.

Once he's down off the latter, Kari hands them over. He takes them and places them on the desk as he changes his cloths. He noticed that Kari must be feeling better as he puts on a black hoody and pants. He then pockets the device and grabs a belt to hold the card deck. He then moves to pick Gigimon up and heads into the kitchen.

Just as he's about to set Gigimon onto the counter, the front door opens and he turns to find Tai saying, "I'm home!" "Tai?" He says as he looks surprise as his adopted older brother comes into the kitchen. "Takato! How are you buddy?" The goggle wearing preteen asks. "Fine. Why aren't you at camp?" He answers, noticing that Gigimon seems to stiffen in his arms. Tai blinks at this and asks, "I've been missing how long and the first question you ask is about camp?"

He cocks his head in confusion and says, "Today's the first day of camp. See." He points to the calendar that's on the fridge. He blinks as Tai drops the pink ball that his older brother had been carrying. "Tai!" The ball shouts and Gigimon bolts out of his arms shouting, "Hot Bite!"

"GIGIMON!" He shouts as his partner rams into the pink ball. "Koromon!" Tai shouts as the pink ball hops over the charging Gigimon. He grabs the red Digimon as Tai moves to grab Koromon. "Calm down, Gigimon." He says to his partner as his partner tries to get at the other Digimon. "But Takatomon!" Gigimon protests. "No buts, Gigimon. Now apologise to the… pink ball." He says as sternly as he could to the red in-training Digimon.

"But he intruded into my territory!" Gigimon says grumpily. He sighs and wonders just when his partner got territorial. "What, Gigimon's a Digimon?" Tai asks once the older boy recovers his voice. He looks at Tai and shifts uncomfortably under Tai's gaze. "Well, I think so." He says and at that moment, Kari exits the bathroom. "Koromon?" Kari says in a daze voice as his sister stares at the other Digimon.

"Huh?" Both Tai and he says at the same time. "This is just getting weirder and weirder…" Tai says softly as Kari seems lost in her thoughts. He sighs and shakes his head as he places Gigimon onto the counter. "I don't suppose you could make us some breakfast?" He asks hopefully at his older brother. "I'm hungry." The two in-training Digimon say about the same time, they look at each other and then smile. He's relieved that it seems that the pair of Digimon got over whatever issues they had about a few minutes ago. He did wonder just what's going on as his hand moves to where that odd device is resting. He really hoped that whatever happened that it'll turn out for the best though.

(-Tai-)

He watches as Gigimon falls asleep on his stomach as Kari and Koromon were playing patty cake. Takato was busy doing dishes from breakfast. He Studies the in-training Digimon that he had thought was a stuff toy for the longest time. He also can't believe that the little guy belongs to his little brother. He had asked if Takato had a Digivice like his, but all Takato had was this weird device that didn't resemble his in the least.

He had also tried to contact the other Digidestine, only to discover that they haven't returned home yet. He was beginning to worry that he and Koromon might not be the only ones to return to the real world. "Are we going to pack stuff?" Takato asks out of the blue. He blinks and looks over at his little brother. "What do you mean?" He asks. "It's not over, you know. We're going to help your friends, right?" Takato asks. "Either of you are coming with me! We don't even know if Gigimon can Digivolve? Besides, this doesn't concern either of you!" He says a bit more loudly then he intended.

He studies the reddish brown eyes of his little brother and stiffens at the look that's reflected in them. "It might not, but that doesn't mean much. As long as they're in that other world, you'll need to go back, Tai. You might as well go back a bit more prepared then what you had at the start of this." And after Takato says that, the look disappears and he lets out the breath he had been holding. "Besides, I think Gigimon will be more then enough to protect me and Kari." Takato adds, beaming at the red ball that's currently on his stomach. He sighs, feeling like Takato's right. He can't run away from what's happening in that other world.

"Kari's staying here though." He says sternly. "But I want to go too!" Kari says. "Absolutely not! It's bad enough that I'm dragging Takato into this. I'm not going to drag my only sister into this." He says, attempting to put his foot down. Kari's eyes flash in anger and his sister stands up abruptly and marches into the bedroom she shares with Takato. "I think I know how Matt feels right now." He says softly as he notices that both Koromon and Takato were looking at him. "She wouldn't survive for long in the Digi World. So stop looking at me like that!" He says and Takato's eyes look at the closed door with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"She's not going." He says and his little brother looks at him and replies, "You think you forbidding her will stop her? You should know better then that, Tai. She did give us a scare when she climbed that tree to get Miko when you told her not to." He grumbles and moves, then stops as he remembers who's on him. "He really sleeps like a log." He comments to his adopted brother. "If you think that's weird, I've seen him fall of the couch and then jump back on it still fast asleep." Takato says in an amused tone. He blinks and looks between Takato and Gigimon, not sure if he believes that or if Takato is some how pulling his leg.

"So, what does Gigimon Digivolve into?" Koromon asks, changing the topic. Takato frowns and says, "I don't remember." He blinks and Koromon and him glance at each other. "You sure he can even go rookie?" He asks. "I know he can, I also know he can go to the highest level with my help though. I just can't remember his other forms are call either." His little brother says in a frustrated tone. He blinks, greatly surprise that his little brother's partner could be so powerful.

"What is the highest level that Digimon can acquire?" He asks, curious as to just how much the eight year old knows about creatures he hadn't known existed just months ago. "Mega, it's a step above ultimate." Takato answers, looking at Gigimon like the red in-training Digimon was the answer to everything. He once more glances at his partner and he has to wonder, what happened to the younger goggle wearing boy before being adopted by his parents.

Just then, the computer comes on and he scoops up the little red Digimon and stands before the computer. He's stunned that Izzy seems to be trying to relay a message, but between the static and it flickering, he couldn't make out much other then Izzy telling him that the group was in danger. He looks at the computer in confusion. "I think someone doesn't what you to return." Takato says softly. He blinks and glances at Takato, he shifts uncomfortably. He can't help but agree that it didn't seem like Izzy to discourage him when the group's in danger.

(-Takato-)

He feels this odd sense of this happening before, but at the same time, it's different. He also had to wonder just what lies in his past, before he came to be adopted by the Kamiya's. He also can't help but wonder if that dream he had just last night might not be more then just a dream.

He snaps out of his thoughts as the bedroom door opens and Kari steps out in her usual cloths. He smiles as he notices the steely look in her eyes. She also had to knapsacks with her, a yellow one on her back and his navy blue one in front of her. He moves and picks it up, as he shoulders it, Gigimon wakes and lets out a snarl.

Tai drops his partner on the floor out of surprise. "Where?" He asks his partner. Without saying a word, the red Digimon races to the door, he opens it and Gigimon once more races forth. He's right behind the virus Digimon, he can hear Tai try and tell Kari to remain, but to no avail as he enters into the stair way following the in-training Digimon.

He can't help but grin as he begins to get the feeling that this was so familiar. Like he's chased after his partner plenty of times and it almost brought out memories of another time, chasing after a much larger red Digimon… He sighs and tries to keep Gigimon within his sight range.

He pauses as he finds just where they are. They were around a busy street, he begins to fear that Gigimon might get stepped on as he begins to move among the people in order to search for his partner. He lost sight of him and sighs until his Digivice begins to beep. He takes it out and notices this red arrow. He rushes in the direction where the arrow's pointing. He can hear Tai and Kari behind him as he weaves among the crowds of people.

He finds his partner, but as he looks up, he finds a large green Digimon standing across the street. "Ogremon." Tai says as they stop behind him. "What's he waiting for?" Kari asks. "I think for the walk sign to change colour." He replies, he clenches his Digivice in his hand, not sure what to make of the rush of emotions making their way to the surface.

"Um, why can't they see him?" Koromon asks. "I don't think we'll have time to worry about that." Tai says as the walk light turns green.

(-Kari-)

She sucks in a breath as the green transparent Digimon launches itself across the street. She watches as both Koromon and Gigimon charge towards the large green Digimon. She watches as Gigimon uses Hot Bite and Koromon uses Bubble Blow. She glances at her 'twin' and could tell that Takato seems tense as he watches the battle unfold, never looking away from Gigimon for more then a few seconds.

She did have to admit that she never expected Gigimon to be fighting any of the monsters they have noticed recently. Yet here they were, with Gigimon and Tai's partner Koromon battling against a much larger and perhaps stronger opponent. She feels so useless, for she couldn't help either of the Digimon that were her brothers' partners.

She blinks as she feels something on her shoulder; she looks up and finds Takato looking at her with worried eyes. "Are you going to be ok?" Her adopted brother asks in a whisper. She blinks and then nods, "I just want to be useful." She tells him. Takato smiles softly and says, "I just know you'll be anything but. Just give it time." She nods once more, amazed that Takato could easily make her feel better so quickly. _'But then, he's always been good at that. I'm so glad to have him as my brother.'_ She thinks as they return to watching the battle between the three Digimon.

Her breath hitches as it looks like the pair of in-training Digimon couldn't take any more. "Gigimon!" "Koromon!" Her brothers shout out about the same time. As the green Digimon leaps to finish the job, Tai's Digivice begins to beep. "Koromon Digivolve to… Agumon!" The light surrounding disappears revealing an orangish yellow dino now stands where the pink ball Digimon use to be. "Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouts and a ball of fire comes out of the rookie's mouth and hits the green Digimon called Ogremon.

Then it was like the sky cracked open, for now above the grounds where the battle took place was a large hole. Things began to get sucked in, she feels Takato grab her hand, his other hand that has his Digivice it already glowing and was beginning to pick her 'twin' brother up. She tightens her hold, not wanting to be left behind.

As Takato is lifting off the ground, so too does she feel herself being pulled upwards as well. Though it was getting hard to hold onto Takato's hand, she refused to be left behind. Takato smiles encouragingly and as she's about two feet above the ground, she finds that nothing's pulling her downwards, but as beginning to float upwards and she loosens up her hold on Takato's hand and can't help but smile as Takato lets out a large breath that he must have been holding. Soon she glances down and as she looks back, they began to fade into the hole. She blacks out but she keeps a firm hold on her adopted brother's hand.

)-(

She opens her eyes; she finds sunlight playing across Takato's face. She looks around once she sits up, letting go of Takato's hand as to not to wake him. She smiles as she notices that Gigimon's sleeping on his back. She then looks around for Tai and Agumon, but can't seem to see them.

She does note that they were in a forest with tall trees and some large ferns and flowers around some of the tree trunks. She listens carefully, but doesn't hear any bird song or buzzing of insects. _'Does the Digi World even have birds and insects?'_ She asks herself, but can't remember if her older brother mentioned it as she looks around. She stands out and then remembers what's on her back.

She quickly takes off her backpack and looks around to make sure nothing's broken. She sighs in relief and closes it. She decides to let the other two rest and she takes out a book she brought with her and begins to read, trusting that Gigimon will wake at any signs of trouble.

(-Tai-)

He woke to find the heat unbearable, he quickly got up and glances around the desert around him. "Takato! Kari! Where are you guys?" He shouts once he notices that either were within his sight. "Come on you guys! This isn't funny!" He shouts once more. "I can't smell Gigimon, Tai. I don't think their with us. They might have landed somewhere else." Agumon tells his friend and partner. Tai swallows and a chill races up his spine. "But they could be in danger! We got to find them Agumon! They're my siblings!" He says in panic, as he races forward he calls out Takato and Kari's names until something beeps. He picks up his Digivice and notices that someone's close by. "Maybe that's them! Lets go Agumon!" He says and paces himself as he races in the direction of where his Digivice is indicating. He prays that they're alright as he goes.

(-Calumon-)

He blinks as he wakes up. He cocks his head to the right and then grins. "I can't wait to see them again! I wonder who's with them. I hope they brought Cream Puffs!" He says out loud, cheerfully as he begins to move out of the cave that he's been sleeping in for who knows how long. He can't wait to see Takato and Guilmon again. He just knows that things will definitely get interesting now that they're here, where ever here is.

To be continued …


	2. Missing Faces

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2

He glances around, not sure what to make of the area they landed in. They have searched for about two days and they haven't come across any signs of either Agumon or Tai. Gigimon was a bit confused about the senses he can sniff out, but Gigimon couldn't find Agumon's or Tai's so they kind of decide that they landed somewhere far away from their older brother.

He glances over at Kari and smiles as he notices Kari trying to fish with a make shift fishing rod. They didn't have to worry about matches and such for Gigimon's Hot Bite works just as well. Though they've been told not to play with fire, they kind of needed it to keep warm at night. He glances to where Gigimon is resting; the red virus ate some berries that didn't agree with him so he was sleeping it off.

He glances down to his black hoody and checks it over for any tears. He fell off a tree and he crash landed in a pile of sticks they had been collecting for the night. He's still sore, but other wise fine. He checks his card deck and nods as he finds that it's still secure on his belt. He touches his goggles as he thinks about Tai and Agumon. He didn't expect that they might not land in the same area, but it seems that's what happened so now they had to deal with it.

He's glad that they hadn't run into any of those bad Digimon that Tai had talked about and he's not overly worried, he has faith that Gigimon will protect them when they run into trouble. _'It's when, not if we do. I might not like the fact that we will run into trouble, but we will. For now, it's my job to keep Kari safe and I know that Gigimon will be more then enough to protect us from any Digimon that has evil intentions in store for us. The thing is just how powerful is Gigimon? I know that he has a rookie form, but I can't remember what it looks like or called. I wonder why the rookie form and the mega form seem so important then the champion one and the ultimate one.'_ He thinks as he stares off into the setting sun, totally out of it with his focus is more inward then outward.

"I got one!" Kari's voice snaps him out of his thoughts and he says, "Huh?" He turns and finds Kari struggling with a fish that's about as tall as either of them. He races to help Kari get the fish under control. He grins as he thinks about how good the fish will be once they cook it.

(-Tai-)

He sighs as he pokes the fire with a stick. He feels TK's weight on his right side, the kid fast asleep. He smiles softly, while the blond wasn't the one he had been searching for, he's glad just the same to have someone to look out for. He hadn't really told TK just who he had been expecting to find, for he didn't want to distress the kid anymore then what he had been.

He almost broke down when TK asked him to be his big brother. He easily pictured a much younger Takato saying how he's happy to have him for a brother. He curses DemiDevimon for feeding TK so many lies. _'If I ever get my hands on that mon, he's regret ever telling fibs!'_ He thinks angrily.

"Tai?" He looks over at Patamon, he sighs and asks, "Yea?" "Just who were you hoping to find?" The orange rookie asks. He looks away and into the fire. "I was just so worried about…" He couldn't bring himself to tell the Digimon that he had brought along his two siblings and his little brother's partner. "I don't know how to explain it, but I'll talk about it when we find the others." He says softly, hoping that Patamon wouldn't push it.

The little flying rookie didn't and he's glad. Agumon catches his eye and he grins sheepishly at his partner. He puts an arm around TK's shoulders, holding the eight year old close. For now, he'll have to trust in Gigimon's ability to protect not just Takato, but Kari as well. He looks up into the night sky, they were going to be leaving to search for Matt tomorrow morning and he hopes for TK's sake that they find the brooding blond soon, for he really does want to alleviate TK's fears that Matt might have not have returned 'cause he didn't love TK anymore.

)-(

He watches the scene between Matt and TK with a sad expression. He's happy for the both of them, but kind of wishes that it could have been Kari, Takato, and him having a similar scene. He shakes himself out of his depression and glances towards Joe. Joe too seems to be affected by the scene before them.

Joe looks over and nods. They then turn and head into the dinner, he's still hungry and considering the owner is passed out, he hopes to get something to eat before they continue on their journey to find that others. Growls erupt from the Digimon and he chuckles and motions for them to follow them into the kitchen. While it might be wrong to eat and run without paying, Joe and Matt worked long enough in the restaurant to pay for whatever they were about to snack on. He steps into the kitchen with two hungry rookies and a hungry in-training Digimon.

At this point, he wishes he had actually brought his backpack that was by the door. He had packed lots of food within it and he just left it by the door as he had tried to keep Takato within eye sight. _'I hope that they're ok.'_ He thinks to himself as he pauses by the door, holding it open for the Digimon to enter into the kitchen. He looks off into the lake and shakes his head as he closes the door. Knowing that he could wish until he was blue that it wouldn't help him one bit in his search for his friends, he says as the door closes, "Look after them." He pictures the little red Digimon when he said that.

(-Kari-)

She looks at the huge red beetle that's currently circling over head. They were hiding in a swallow cave, waiting for the large insect to give up and leave. "Still out there?" Takato asks as he tries to stop a yawn. "Yea. I'm getting worried though." She says softly. "If worst come to worst, Gigimon could always fight it." Takato says confidently. She smiles and asks, "You really believe he can take on Kuwagamon?" Takato nods, moving to the opening to glance at the Digimon flying over head.

She can't help but giggle, for the simple fact that he reminds her strongly of Tai. "Tai must have rubbed off on you. You kind of sound like him." She says. Takato looks surprised and blushes slightly as he stutters, "I can't help but have faith in him… and in myself." The last part was said really softly, she almost missed it. She studies her brother and couldn't help but think that Takato can help Gigimon in ways that she doubts that she ever will.

She looks away, mostly due to the fact that she doesn't have a partner and there for has to rely on others for her protection. "Kari…" Her adopted brother says softly. She looks up and notices the worry in his eyes. She smiles slightly, still kind of depressed that she didn't have a partner to help protect them. "You'll find your's, sister. It's just not the right time yet." Takato says in a mysterious tone and she looks up into her brother's eye. She feels a bit chilly as she tries to figure out what the look is in her brother's eyes.

It vanishes with in two heart beats, not sure if it really happened. She nods and Takato looks relieved. "Just get some rest. I'll keep watch for a while. And if its still here tomorrow, Gigimon will drive it off." She nods and then moves forward, kissing Takato's left check. "Thanks for cheering me up, Takato." She says, noticing that her brother seems to be at a lost of words.

)-(

They all were a bit on edge as they got ready for the battle that's ahead of them. She looks between Gigimon and Takato, Takato was fussing over Gigimon, making sure that the little Digimon was ready to go. "Takatomon! I'm fine!" Gigimon says as the little guy seems eager to get this done and over with. "Alright, just remember that we're here." Her 'twin' says to the in-training virus.

Gigimon jumps out of Takato's arms and races out of the cave, ready to face the large insect Digimon. The larger insect then roars as it spots Gigimon. Gigimon stops and Takato's Digivice begins to beep. "Gigimon Digivolve to… Guilmon!" The light dies down, revealing a large red dragon/dino rookie. She's stunned that Gigimon's rookie form seems to big.

"He's almost taller then Tai." Takato says in awe. She cocks her head slightly to the left and then nods in agreement. "But Koromon's rookie form isn't that big. How come Gigimon evolved into something so much larger?" She asks. "…" Was all that comes from Takato.

They return to watching the unfolding battle as Guilmon shouts out, "Pyro Sphere!" A large fire ball erupts from the virus rookie's mouth, it hits Kuwagamon in the chest. The ball of fire sends the much larger and supposedly stronger Digimon through the air. She blinks as Guilmon charges forward with surprising speed. "Rock Breaker!" The red rookie shouts as a fiery claw slams into the head of the beetle Digimon.

The beetle lies unmoving before the much larger Digimon. "I did it, Takatomon! I knocked him out!" Guilmon says in a childish voice. They crawl out of the cave and Guilmon races up to them. Clearly happy and proud that he won the fight. "Good job, boy. You did great." Takato says as Guilmon noses Takato in the chest. Her brother hugs the larger Digimon, making her smile as Guilmon lifts Takato slightly off the ground before the young goggle wearing kid lets go.

"You sure are big, boy." Takato says as her brother studies Guilmon more closely. "Yip." Guilmon chirps and she can't keep the giggle in any longer. Both turn and look at her in puzzlement. "I just thought that, well, he still acts about the same." She tells the two, not sure if she got her meaning across to the pair of them. Takato grins sheepishly while Guilmon looks confused.

Then someone's stomach growls and Takato and her look at Guilmon. "I'm hungry, Takatomon. Karimon. Can we get something to eat?" The red rookie asks hopefully looking between them. "We're not mons, Guilmon and yes, I think we're all hungry." Takato says, his stomach growling in agreement with Guilmon's. She giggles, until her own stomach betrays her. Takato smirks slightly and she blushes slightly out of embarrassment. They walk back into the cave and grab their backpacks. They still have a long way to go before they met up with either Tai or the others. She just hopes that they'll be fine when they do.

(-Takato-)

He looks down, before him a city is laid out before him. It was night time and he can't help but be amazed at the sight before him. He knows that he's not alone, but the only other one he can make out is Guilmon.

Then the scene changes to a park. He feels like the name of it was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it as he finds himself sitting on some play equipment with Guilmon by his side. The sun's setting and he feels guilty about something. What he can't recall, but he knows that Guilmon forgave him and that's all that matters.

He relaxes until the scene changes yet again, but his view point is so different that he wakes before where he was registers in his mind. He bolts up and looks around. He sighs in relief and some of the tension in his shoulders leaves. He looks over to where Guilmon is and smiles. He's been getting those dreams for the last few days, about the time Guilmon Digivolved from Gigimon.

He gets up off the ground, careful not to wake either Kari or Guilmon. He sighs as he tries to conjure up the images that he just finished dreaming about. He finds that they're just as illusive as his previous ones. He frowns as he looks over at Guilmon, he had tried to see if the red rookie remembers anything about before they were living with his adopted family, but the virus didn't seem to be having the kind of dreams that he's having.

He sighs and heads towards the river. They've been traveling around on their own for about two weeks now and they have yet to find any evidence to suggest that there were any other kids around here other then Kari and him. They haven't encountered anything that Guilmon couldn't either drive away or delete, which either means that Guilmon's extremely powerful or that the Digimon attacking them were extremely weak, they didn't know which.

He kneels down and moves his hands in to scoop up the water. He then splashes it onto his face, he shakes his head and wipes his face with the back of his right arm. He looks into the river, searching for something that lies within him. He's not really paying attention to his surroundings.

(-Gatomon-)

She studies the boy by the river. She came across the pair of humans and Digimon as she was looking for recruits for Myotismon's army. She knows that it's DemiDevimon's job to deal with the human children, but it seems that they over looked these two. She had cursed the blue ball with wings called DemiDevimon when she first saw them, but now she's not sure if either were chosen, for the boy's Digivice isn't like the others nor is the red virus rookie called Guilmon like any Digimon she's come across.

She frowns as she notices how the boy wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and wondered if she should act now that the kid was absorbed by his thoughts. "Hi there!" A voice from behind her causes her to fall out of the tree she was hiding in.

The voice also startles the human out of his thoughts and turns to look in her direction. The Digimon that had startled them both is now floating in the air with big ears. The Digimon then turns and she catches sight of the innocent green eyes that this white Digimon possesses. "Were you playing hide and seek? Was Takato it?" The floating Digimon with emerald eyes asks.

"Who are you?" She can't stop from asking, not sure why she feels so uncomfortable under this Digimon's gaze, it felt like she's some how unworthy to be around the small Digimon, since she's the servant of Myotismon. "I'm Calumon!" Calumon says cheerfully before returning to face the human in their mist.

"How's Guilmon? Is he with you?" Calumon asks the boy. "How do you know Guilmon? Or me for that matter?" Takato asks a few seconds after the white Digimon asks him. "Oh, I get it! This is a game, right? Ok, I'm Calumon, what's your name?" The white Digimon asks the young boy who just looks really confused. "I think I feel a headache coming on." The boy says softly, she had to agree with the kid, it just seemed like this was going to be a long night.

)-(

She yawns, not having gotten any sleep since the night before. She glances at the white Digimon that refused to answer Takato's questions. She shakes her head as Calumon is launched into the air by Guilmon. The red Digimon hit it off real well with the small white Digimon with emeralds eyes. _'But then, Calumon does seem to know the pair, even if they don't know him.'_ She muses tiredly.

Takato seemed just as frustrated as she, maybe more so considering Calumon had known not just the kid's name, but also Guilmon's name. She studies the kid again before looking at the more rested girl who seems to be smiling in amusement at the antics of the pair playing around. She feels the usual unease that was so very different then what she experiences from Calumon. She looks away as the girl, Kari, glances at her.

'_What's up with this group? Why don't I just leave and report them to Myotismon? And why haven't I heard of a Calumon or a Guilmon before?'_ She thinks to herself, watching as the white Digimon laughs as the little guy proceeds to tickle the much larger Digimon, who's a rookie. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices that Takato was beginning to dozy off.

She can't help but want to follow his lead. "You can use my bed if you want." A voice says, startling her into jumping up off the ground. She turns and finds that it's Kari who was talking to her. She can't help but stare into the reddish brown eyes that seem to be a trait shared between the two humans. "You two siblings?" She asks bluntly, she curses herself for asking that out of the blue.

"Takato's my adopted brother. Most people think we're twins 'cause of we're the same age and for the yellow goggles around his neck are similar to Tai's, well mostly it's because of the eyes." Kari answers, meaning that she's not offended by her question.

"Why do you trust me? I mean, I could be working with the enemy!" She says kind of out of anger and out of curiousity. Kari smiles and answers, "Guilmon trusts you and I trust Guilmon." She blinks in surprise and heads towards the girl's bed. She turns to take a look at first at the goggle wearing kid, snorting slightly at how uncomfortable looking the position is, and then at Guilmon. She sighs and curls up on the bed of leaves. After a few minutes, she drifts off into slumber, trusting the group not to attack her while she sleeps.

(-Tai-)

He can't help but look over at where Sora sat, her knees up against her chest, her arms hugging the legs close to her body. His heart goes out to her as she looks so totally and absolutely lost, even with Biyomon by her side. He looks away, can't stand the sight of one of his oldest friends looking so miserable.

He glances as a sleeping TK; another ping of worry enters into his mind. He thought about his younger siblings, he hadn't heard anything about them as he journeyed to find the remainder of his group, his fellow Digidestine, his friends. He looks into the fire; the others were asleep leaving Sora and him to be the only two wide awake. Here he is, back among his friends and he now feels so alone, for other then Agumon, he's the only one who knows about Kari and Takato coming through the rift with him.

"It's kind of weird, huh? Here we are, in this totally different world and instead of enjoying our once in a life time chance adventure, we're so homesick that we'd do almost anything to get back home." He says softly, not wanting to wake the others. "I mean, sure we got the weight of the world on our shoulders and all, but this might be our only chance to get away from the problems that plague us in the real world." He smiles sadly as he pictures Kari and Takato, continues on, "No parents to tell us when to go to bed or order us to do choruses around the house. Sure it means we have to depend on ourselves more to get food, find safe places to rest, and when to fight and when it's wise to run away. Sure it's up to us to save Digi World and the real one, but we're experiencing so much more then what we expected to."

He snorts and blinks then turns to look up into the night sky. "It's odd, but I know that I'm going to miss this world once this whole adventure is over. I know I'm going to miss Agumon most of all, he's come to be someone really special to me and I don't think I'll ever got a chance to tell him just how much he means to me. He's like a bodyguard and a best friend all rolled into one." An image of Gigimon floats into his mind, then it alters to include Takato holding the little guy.

He looks over, not sure if Sora was affected to what he just said, but he felt better for some reason. He smiles sheepishly and yawns. He glances over at Joe, who's the next person to take over sentry duty. He glances down at Gomamon and then surveys the other Digidestine and their partners, until at last, he looks over to Agumon. He smiles softly, knowing that if Gigimon and Takato had a relationship like what they have between their partners, that the little guy has most likely Digivolved into his rookie form and more then able to handle any danger aimed at Kari and Takato.

'_I wonder what his rookie form is call and what he looks like.'_ He thinks to himself as he once more stares into the fire, he just needs to stay awake for a bit more, then he can wake Joe up for his turn. He feels more confident in Gigimon's ability to protect Takato and Kari. _'I'll see you guys soon, I promise.'_

(-Takato-)

They were kind of just following Gatomon's directions. He stares at the white cat Digimon, not sure why he can't help but feel that Gatomon belongs with them. He turns his head slightly and stares at a key to a mystery to who he truly is that key lies in the shape of a really innocent looking key with wide emerald eyes with purple markings and on the forehead a design with black triangle with an upside down red triangle in the middle whose name is Calumon and is currently residing in Kari's arms.

It was because of Calumon that Gatomon joined them, if only temporally. He doesn't know what the white cat Digimon had been up to, most likely spying on them, but if Calumon hadn't startled the champion level Digimon out of the tree, he doubts that the Digital cat would have shown herself to them. He's not sure about much, but he trusts Guilmon's ability to screen the Digimon they met.

So that's why they were most or less following the confused cat around. He's have to be really absorbed in his own little world to miss the looks that Gatomon keeps sending Kari's way and he made it his business to try and protect his 'twin' from danger, in his own way that is. He knows that Kari doesn't want to rely on him more then she has to and he understands, for his adopted sister has a hard time of it with her weak immune system.

He had sometimes wondered what Kari would be like if he wasn't around to counter some of Tai's influence. He does look up to the older goggle wearing preteen, but not as much as Kari does. Kari wants to make everyone happy and if he isn't there to help encourage her to make her own decisions; she might cave in with ease.

He looks back towards the direction they're going in, he knows that Guilmon's by his left side with out even looking. He feels more comfortable with his partner like this then he ever had when his partner was an in-training Digimon. It just made him relax and he feels more secure with Guilmon by his side then him carrying Gigimon around. His hand moves to the goggles around his neck as he can almost bring himself to imagine Guilmon's champion form.

He loses the image as someone's stomach rumbles. He stops and looks at Guilmon as the virus Digimon places a clawed hand over his belly. "Don't tell me, you're hungry?" He says before Guilmon could say anything. Guilmon just bobbes his head in agreement with his statement, he just sighs and looks over toward their unofficial guide. "You know any place that we can stop at to eat?" He asks Gatomon. She looks thoughtful and then waves a paw for them to wait there, he watches the white cat disappear, he turns and notices Kari's expression and something heavy hits his guts. "She's not coming back, huh?" He asks and Kari bites her lower lip in answer. He sighs and looks to where the champion Digimon ran off to. "We'll met again, Gatomon." He says softly to himself. Just knowing that something had happened and that Gatomon's destiny is very much connected to the group, even if the white cat likes it or not.

(-Gatomon-)

She feels bad for what she did, but knows that it's for the best. She couldn't stay or her master would come searching for her and she didn't want that to happen for she doubts that they could have lasted very long against him.

"He was beginning to wonder where you went off to." A voice says and then Wizardmon appears behind her. She glances at the other champion Digimon and says, "I got held up. How did your search go?" She was trying to go back into that place she had been before she ended up with that group of kids, she knew that it couldn't last forever. "It went well enough, Gatomon. They wait just a few hours walk from here." The humanoid Digimon says and she nods. She doesn't look backwards to where she left those two young humans and those two weird Digimon, steeling herself for when she faces her master once more.

"Then let's go." She says and heads in that direction when her heart wants nothing more then to return to that odd group, to those haunting reddish eyes.

(-Tai-)

They had just failed to make it through the big iron doors of the gate that leads to the real world. Privately, he's glad they didn't make it through for it gives him some time to search for Kari, Takato, and Gigimon. Once they make it to Gennia's, Agumon and him were going to search for his lost siblings, whether the others like it or not.

Something rustles before them and they're all ready for a battle. A red head pops out with ears like Patamon's. Yellow eyes blink and then the Digimon takes a sniff. Then the red Digimon moves out of the bushes and towards them with a grin on his face. He notices just how big this Digimon was and none of the other Digimon seem to know what kind of Digimon that's standing before them.

"Takatomon! Karimon! I found Taimon!" The red Digimon shouts out in a childish voice, he blinks and almost falls over at being called Taimon. "Takatomon?" Izzy asks and Sora looks over in his direction, giving him a questioning look. He looks uncomfortable under her gaze, he couldn't bring himself to look at her and focuses on the tall Digimon standing before the group. "Gigimon?" Agumon asks in a surprise tone. "I'm Guilmon now." Guilmon chirps in a goofy voice and soon Takato's voice can be hear, "Where are you, Guilmon?" "I'm over here!" The red Digimon says and soon his little brother walks out of the bushes with Kari in toe.

"Kari! Takato! You're ok!" He says as he rushes to give them both hugs. Something giggles and he lets go and notices the really odd Digimon in his little sister's arms. "Hi! I'm Calumon, you guys want to play?" Calumon says and he blinks as the ears seem to grow and the little Digimon floats out of his sister's arms and faces the others. "He's so cute!" Mimi says and rushes to cuddle the white Digimon.

Matt, TK, and Izzy were the only ones not busy looking at Calumon. He Shifts uncomfortable as he meets Matt's eye. "Hi, I'm TK and this is Patamon." He hears TK say, he turns and watches as the three eight year olds begin chatting among themselves. He can't suppress a smile as the three begin to make friends, he could bet how lonely the blond had been, with nobody his own age around to relate to. He notice that Izzy had his computer out and seems to be trying to get information about Guilmon on his computer.

"I don't remember them coming camping with us." Matt says and he looks up at the older blond and swallows. "It seems that Takato and Kari have always known about Digimon. Guilmon even lived in the same apartment with me and I didn't even know he was anything other then a stuff toy." He admits to Matt and the brooding blond looks surprise and looks at the red rookie, he guesses that Guilmon's a rookie, then at Kari, and finally at the black clothed Takato.

"So?" Matt's question hangs in the air between them. "They crossed over with me when I returned. I think we landed in different areas. I didn't know how to tell you guys, so I kept it a secret." He says and Matt's expression softens. He sighs and looks at the others, even the Digimon seem to be more interested in Calumon then in his siblings, but as he tones into what they're saying, he could shakes his head and wonders how long it'll take for the novelty to wear off so they can continue on their journey.

He relaxes feeling that, for now, things were calm and as they should be. He watches as TK tells stories about what they've been gone through. Takato looks up and smiles at him before returning to listening to what TK's saying. He turns and finds that Guilmon's… asleep.

To be continued …


	3. Going Home

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 3

He's just glad to be with the group, back with his older brother. He's glad that they finally found them and more then a little surprise at how much attention Calumon was getting, but then, it really helped Kari and him to get use to them before they began to ask questions about how they got here and such.

They were currently standing before a lake, Mimi was holding onto Calumon so he doesn't feel the familiar weight of the white Digimon on his head. "So we're swimming here on in?" Matt asks and suddenly the waters part, revealing a staircase before them. Gomamon blinks in surprise and they all kind of look at each other and then they proceeded to walk down the stairs, with Gomamon still looking kind of confused about the whole thing.

He kind of loses himself in his own thoughts, toning out the others as he considers the dream he had just last night. He shivers slightly as he thinks back to the image of a huge gigantic red blob that he's some how facing off against with Guilmon close to his side. The scene plays out with him only being able to understand what Guilmon and him were saying, he knows there were others but for the life of him, he didn't know who they were or what they were saying.

He saw a priestess in golden armour with a fox mask covering her face; another was a gigantic green robot, and this humanoid figure in armour with a metal arm. He can't help but know for certain that they were his friends and that they were a team as well as that they were all that stood between destruction of their world.

He replays the memory, trying to understand how it was that Guilmon could be so close to him and yet he couldn't see his best friend and partner. He thinks on the fact that he had white wings on his back and that he was holding two weapons. He frowns, trying to understand how a human could have such thing and that it's usually Digimon that do battle against such things. A thought wiggles its way forward and he almost dismisses it, but he then considers it for a few minutes and glances over to where Guilmon is walking, something clicks and he knows not just the name of Guilmon's mega, but also how to achieve it. "Gallantmon." He says to himself, the name just seems to right and he then notices the house that's coming into view.

He now knows that while Calumon was a key to his past, he now knows that there were many other keys and for now, he's not going to try and unlock the other just yet. Besides, his dreams might help clear some things up before he tries to Bio Merge with Guilmon to become Gallantmon. But he doesn't want to wait too long, for he feels an emptiness in him that he now knows is where his memories were suppose to be. He wants to know who his friends were and why is it that he's here. He snaps out of it as he notices TK and Kari racing down the steps, Matt and Tai telling them to be careful or they might trip and fall.

(-Tai-)

He looks over at Takato's fitful form. He glances around and notices that Kari's up too. They look at each other and then back at Takato, he's worried for he doesn't know if he should wake his little brother or let him live out his dream. "Jeri! Please Jeri, answer me!" Takato cries out as he moves closer to his sleeping brother, he's alert and he looks over at Kari, as if she might know this Jeri person. Kari looks just as confused as he is and he sighs.

He begins to shake the young goggle wearing boy up, Takato shots up and looks around in alert. "You ok?" He asks as Takato takes short swallow breaths. "I think I was just relieving something." Takato stutters out. His worry increases for he doesn't exactly like whatever it had been that Takato had been dreaming about. "Who's Jeri?" Kari asks softly and Takato looks over at his 'twin' sister. "Who?" Takato asks and he answers, "You're the one that said that name. You also seem to really concerned about her." Takato's face darkens as the young boy struggles to remember something.

"There was this girl, I couldn't see her too well, but my heart was aching about something. We were on a train, Guilmon was asleep and we were going some where. I think I confessed something and she didn't say anything…" Takato says and he sighs, for this was just plain weird. "I've been having these dreams, these memories. They started the night before camp. Then Calumon comes along, he knew my name and Guilmon's, but I don't know him. He thought it was a game and hasn't really said anything about how he knows me or Guilmon. I don't doubt that he knows me, but I'm just so confused." He pulls the younger boy into his arms, rubbing Takato's back. Kari looks thoughtful, lost in her thoughts as he comforts his adopted brother.

"We'll get through this, trust me. Things will get better." He says softly, checking to see if any of the others were up. "I know. I know." Takato says in a whisper. "I know how to get Guilmon to go mega too." Takato says once he lets his brother go. He looks surprise and asks, "How?" "Bio Merge." Takato says before lying down and turning onto his side. He repeats that last bit. "Bio Merge?" He sighs and lies back down, but can't seem to get any sleep now that he has something to think about.

He hears someone move about and sits up, he smiles as he watches Kari lays her head onto Takato's pillow, hugging Takato before falling asleep. He lies back down, he just stares at the ceiling above him, trying to sort out just how this new development affects them going back to the real world and defeating Myotismon.

(-Kari-)

She stares out the window of the bus, she thinks about Guilmon's champion form, Growlmon. While Agumon, Biyomon, and Gabumon went ultimate, her adopted brother's partner went champion and had an easier time deleting the guards then the last three combined. It kind of remaindered her of Kuwagamon all over again with the exception of Guilmon just knocking the large insect out.

She hugs a sleeping Calumon as she thinks about how the whole place was coming down around them and it was Growlmon that had been able to get rid of the spider Digimon that had been the last guard. While she does feel sorry that the spider Digimon had to be deleted, she did understand that they couldn't reason with that Digimon and they hadn't the time either.

"You ok?" Takato asks her, she looks over at her adopted brother, knowing that he had his hands full with his own problems. She glances down at the sleeping Gigimon in his arms, they couldn't hide Guilmon that well so the rookie ended up in his in-training form once more. "I kind of wish that …" She looks away, not sure if what she was about to say was silly or not. "It's odd hearing about it then actually seeing it, huh?" Her 'twin' brother says and she nods.

"He's pretty powerful, huh? He took on a Digimon that was giving the three ultimates trouble. It makes me think that he and I must have been through a lot for him to be that strong." Takato says, changing the subject slightly, she's grateful about that. "Calumon hadn't been that worried." She admits. "I don't think such things really bother the little guy. I think he's more into worrying about people's moods then about the battles that need to be fought." Takato comments and she looks down at the Digimon in her arms.

The others headed off in search for the eighth child, leaving the two of them to head back to the apartment on their own. Oddly enough, Takato had been looking at her whenever someone mentioned the eighth child, as if Takato thinks it's her, which she isn't totally comfortable with. She doesn't have a Digivice so she doubts that she's the one they're looking for, but when ever she thinks about who her partner might be her thoughts goes back to the white cat Digimon they had encountered and traveled with for a bit.

'_But I can't be the eighth child, right? I mean, I don't even have a tag and crest, let alone a Digivice. Besides, we should be worrying about his memories, not whether or not I'm the eighth Digidestine child.'_ She thinks to herself, knowing that Takato needs her now more then ever that he's beginning to question who he is and why he's here.

A great deal many signs were pointing out that Takato should be much older then he is right now. Tai had decided that the others need not worry about any of this, keeping it between the three of them. She didn't see any reason why to go against her older brother, knowing that Takato's path is very different then the Digidestine.

She knows that one day, she'll lose her adopted brother and she aches at the very thought, for she can't imagine life without him being there to support her, to be there for her. As much as she loves and admires Tai, it was Takato that always seem to be there to give her an encouraging smile or to be there to give her a hand to help her rise up off the ground, to wait for her to dust herself off and to walk by her side until she feels ready to face the world without him being on hand.

She blinks as she feels Takato squeeze her shoulder; she looks up into Takato's eyes and notices that he was worried about her. "I just thinking about what it would be like once you leave and how it wouldn't be the same." She tells him. "I'm not going any where just yet, Kari. And as odd as this might sound, I think I need to be a lot older before I can find the others. I can't just show up looking like an eight year old with them most likely in their teens. So you guys are kind of stuck with me for years yet." Takato says with a bit of humour in his tone. She beams and nods, understanding that most of what Takato said was true, that Takato can't leave just yet, even with his memories it would take a while before Takato would be able to head back to where ever he came from.

"Thanks for cheering me up." She says and Takato grins as he says, "It's what brothers are for." She giggles slightly as she relaxes, feeling so much better then when they had first gotten onto the bus. "I'm sure your girlfriend would enjoy teasing you about your second childhood." She says lightly and Takato goes bright red. "I don't think I have one yet." Takato murmurs and she shakes her head slightly, oddly feeling confident at the fact that she some how knows that Takato let behind a special someone back where he came from. She's not sure why, only that he must have someone close to him, for she doubts that a nice guy like Takato would be without someone for very long. She looks forward to meeting them though; she really does want to know just what kind of girl Takato would end up with.

(-Rika-)

Sneezed as she sleeps on, with only whispering, "Stupid Gogglehead." She turns over in her slumber, hitting Ryo in the head, the older teen grunts out in pain and moves out of the way. The Tamers sleep on, not knowing that their friend and fellow Tamer had escaped their captor before they knew what hit them.

(-Gatomon-)

She sighs as she moves about on the tops of buildings. She can't help but snort as how many humans live within the city, it was more then any Digimon city ever had. She can't help but scuff at Myotismon's thinking that they'd find the eighth child within a matter of days, for though they have the fake tag and crest, the shear number of humans made it impossible to figure out which one the tag and crest were reacting to.

Then there's the trouble of separating that kid from the hordes of humans that move about the city. They'd have to reveal themselves just to get at the child and she might not know much about human weaponry, but she didn't want to find out whether or not it would harm them. She could picture it now, a group of ten or so humans with those guns firing at her. She shivers and pause as she looks down at a familiar pair of kids. "They made it through." She says to herself as she smiles slightly at Takato and Kari, from where she is, they look like ants but she knows that the pair of them were who she thinks them to be.

She sighs, knowing that this means that the group of Digidestine had also crossed over from the Digital world, back into their own. She had mixed feelings about that group, so she just found it easier to be happy and relieved that the pair of humans she had grown fond of were fine and out of danger from the dangers of her world. She watches them walk into a shop, most likely some kind of food place, she then turns away, heading off in another direction, doubting that she'd ever come face to face with either of them again.

(-Takato-)

He yawns as he relaxes on the couch with Gigimon resting on his stomach and Calumon resting on his head. He's wearing different cloths then the black hoody and pants that he had worn in the Digital World. He's now wearing a simple grey long sleeve shirt with blue pants. A metal tiger and a metal dragon were on the front of the shirt, they were doing battle and on the right long sleeve were black fire design and on the other was white letters for chaos running down the sleeve. Tai had the shirt especially made for him at this shirt place for a Christmas present last year, Kari got a pink shirt with red and white flower patterns on the sleeves and a heart made out of those flowers on the front.

He smiles slightly as he remembers his adopted parents' reactions to Tai's choice for his shirt. He knows that they would have preferred for a different design, but they got over it, which he was happy about for he really likes the shirt. The word chaos oddly enough seemed to make Calumon looks kind of serious, for a second any way. He kind of gathers that the word must mean something to the white in-training Digimon, but he couldn't determine what though.

Kari walks out of the bedroom door, he notices that Kari decided to try to wear a bit more toned down colours today. His sister is wearing an orange T-shirt with tan shorts, her whistle still hanging around her neck. "How do I look?" His adopted sister asks, he just grins and says, "Looks great. So, does this mean you're trying to impress TK?" Kari looks alert and eyes wide in surprise, his grin grows wider at this reaction.

He had just taken a shot in the dark and now he has ammo for future teasing. Don't get him wrong, he likes TK and get the feeling that the blond is kind of lonely for he's never heard TK mention any friends his own age, which seems kind of odd, for while Kari and him told stories about some of the things their friends did, TK never exchanged any stories. He sighs as he begins to get a grip on how much TK would value his friendship between Kari and himself.

"What?" Kari asks and he blinks as he comes out of his thoughts, he seems to be doing a lot of thinking recently. "Just thinking about TK and how many friends he has." _'Or lack of.'_ He thinks to himself and Kari looks puzzled until something dawns on her. "So you want me to take Calumon or Gigimon?" Kari asks, changing the subject.

He studies Gigimon for a minute and then sighs. "It better be Calumon. I don't have the heart to wake Gigimon up." He admits to his sister. "And I don't have the heart to wake Calumon, but we do need to go, so I'll take the cream puff." Kari says and moves to where his head is and picks up the sleeping Digimon. Calumon's eye opened slightly and then the white Digimon smuggled into Kari's arm, causing them both to smile softly at the playful Digimon.

He scoops Gigimon up into his arms and gets up off the couch. He pauses and glances over at the Digivice Calumon had found and taken from their pet cat. He at first thought it had been Tai's, but now, he's not to sure and glances to Kari, wondering if his idea has any merit. Shaking his head he walks out of the door and closes it behind him, Tai's home trying to find his school phone book for some reason, he hadn't paid Tai much attention when he was saying why he needed.

It takes Kari and him about two hours to make it to the park that they were going to meet TK and Patamon at. The reason it took so long was that they decided to pick up some snacks and drinks before meeting the Digidestine of Hope. They had a bit of trouble keeping Calumon from causing too much trouble, he really hopes that old lady recovers from being asked if she's wearing a mask and, if she is, could she please remove it.

He glances around, to make sure that nobody that Calumon insulted were following them, his shoulders relax as they spot TK and Patamon. "We lost them!" Gigimon says cheerfully. He just sighs and Calumon flies out of Kari's arms, heading towards TK and Patamon. "Hi!" Calumon says cheerfully and both TK and Patamon look startled as they look up at the cheerful Digimon. "Hi Calumon." TK says with Patamon echoing with his own greeting.

TK gets up off the ground to greet them; he notices how eager the other boy was and once more his thoughts about the blond surfaces. He sighs mentally, hoping that they're not a bad influence on the poor kid, for he gathers that TK's rather impressionable. He did wonder what kind of impression the pair of them are currently making.

"So you guys are twins, right?" Comes the most familiar question of all times. Kari and him share a tired, worn out look before he shrugs and Kari replies, "Well, we are siblings, just not in that way." He nods and both TK and Patamon look confused. "But the eyes…" TK says and its his turn to answer. "I'm adopted, TK. Though that might have been one of the many reasons why Kari's parents adopted me, but it wasn't the main one." TK scratches the side of his head and Kari picks it up from there.

"It happened some years ago. The police did look for Takato's parents, but nobody was missing a kid fitting Takato's description and the cops thought that since Tai and I had been visiting him during his time in the hospital, that our parents wouldn't mind adopting him. It hadn't been hard, they couldn't resist, especially with Takato wearing those yellow goggles around his head and with Gigimon in his arms." He turns red as he remembers that particular image comes to his mind.

"So where did you originally come from? How did you get separated from your parents?" TK asks in a concerned tone. He looks away, for that's his current problems are. "Takato's parents own a bakery and they're really nice. They make lots of yummy things." Calumon says, startling the rest of them. His head snaps to look at the small white Digimon with green eyes. "They do?" He asks, hoping for more information. "Ah huh." Calumon says, not saying anything more on that subject.

He swallows, blinking rapidly as to keep himself from tearing up. TK looks uncomfortable and Kari explains, "Takato doesn't remember much about his past before he ended up in the hospital." "I'm sorry." TK says and he smiles sadly as he says, "You didn't know or you wouldn't have asked. Though, Calumon seems to know more about me then I do." He eyes the innocent looking Digimon as if to get his meaning across to said mon, but Calumon cocks his head to the side and says, "Really? Huh! Wait until I tell Rika!"

'_Rika.'_ He thinks that name, his eyes widening as an image of a red head with purple eyes enters into his mind's eye. "She's also called the Digimon Queen. Her partner's Renamon." He says out loud as he remembers certain things about the other Tamer. "Renamon? I miss her." Gigimon says in a wistful tone, causing Kari and him to look at the red Digimon. He sighs, wondering why he suddenly trying to get why his partner might like Rika's partner. "What do you miss about her?" Kari asks and Gigimon looks up as he says, "I miss how she scares people by appearing out of nowhere."

He chokes as two memories of a humanoid yellow fox appearing before him, scaring him. "Well, this day as been an informative already." He says once he stops coughing. Kari nods and TK just looks kind of bewildered. "I'm missing something, 'cause I don't get it." TK says innocently confused tone. Kari pats TK on his shoulder and says in a sympathetic tone says, "It's like this, Calumon has been tight lipped about how he knows Takato and Gigimon and within the last few minutes, Calumon had just said more things then in the time we've known him." TK nods, though it's clear that the boy wasn't any less confused but trusted that it'll be explained to him one day.

They then changed the subject as Calumon and Gigimon talk Patamon into playing with them. The topics were varied as they just sat around on the grass, talking away. He admits that the more he gets to know TK, the more he likes the blond. He exchange looks with Kari and she smiles, meaning that she too was warming up to the Digidestined of Hope. He nods and they turn to watch the three Digimon goof off.

(-Gatomon-)

She hadn't meant to stay as long as she did, but she couldn't bring herself to leave either. _'Things and feelings just get twisted when ever I'm around Kari. It's like I should know her from some where… But that's impossible! That was her first time in the Digital world and this is my first time in the Real world.'_ She thinks as she watches as Kari, TK, and Takato sit on the grass watching the three Digimon wrestle with each other.

As odd as it sounds, she wasn't jealous of Calumon for being close to Kari, it was Takato that causes that emotion to rise up for she knows how close the pair were and despite the fact she knows that they're siblings, she can't help but be envious of the goggle wearing kid. She frowns and looks at a spot not far from her position. Then she hears something and she glances across the park and curses as a pair of tall yellow Digimon begin to cause panic as they enter the park. "Cyclonemon." She says out loud as she identifies the pair.

(-Kari-)

They all got off the grass and some light appears and disappears with Guilmon moving into her line of sight, she realises that the light was from Gigimon Digivolving into Guilmon. Guilmon's pose stiffens and something about how stiff the virus was standing sent warning bells off in her head. "What's wrong?" She asks as Guilmon begins to growl. "Bad Digimon are coming." Guilmon answers and soon starts off into the direction of where people were screaming and shouting.

She blinks as Takato chases after Guilmon within a few seconds. TK and her watch as the pair get about ten feet away before they start to follow behind them, though she doesn't know why she's racing towards danger when she didn't have a Digimon to protect her. She glances at TK and then at Patamon. She feels a bit better knowing that either Guilmon or Patamon will be there to protect her along with their own partners. She doubts that Calumon could protect her; she extremely doubts Calumon's ability to protect himself as well.

They stop by Takato and she looks at the holographic image that's coming out of her bother's Digivice. Takato states out loud:

**Cyclonemon**

Champion level Digimon

Virus attribute

Dragon type. Attacks are Hyper Heat and Arm Bomber

The hologram disappears and TK says, "That's cool! How come mine can't do that?" Takato shrugs and lowers his hand that contains the Digivice. "I don't know but it's handy." Takato says as Guilmon charges at the pair of champion level Digimon. She would have tried to call the rookie back, if it hadn't been for the fact that she knows that Guilmon could most likely handle the pair without Digivolving into Growlmon.

"Shouldn't he Digivolve?" TK asks worriedly as Guilmon dodges a punch thrown by one of the larger virus Digimon. "Guilmon's tough and Takato could always swipe a card to help Guilmon out." Calumon says cheerfully as the little Digimon rests on her head. She blinks in surprise, kind of surprise by both Calumon's comment as well as the fact that Calumon was resting on her head, which the white Digimon usually does with Takato.

"Swipe a card? I get it!" Takato says as he looks at Calumon and then takes out his odd card deck. Takato searches through it and takes out two cards. "Well, here we go." Takato says once he puts the rest of the cards back into his pouch. "Digimodify! Hyper Wings activate!" Takato shouts as he swipes one card. "Digimodify! Hyper Speed activate!" Takato shouts as he finishes swiping the last card through the side of his Digivice.

They saw the effects at once as golden energy wings appear on Guilmon's back and the red Digimon launches himself into the air. "Pyro Sphere!" Guilmon shouts out and the shot hits the closest Cyclonemon in the chest, the downed virus is deleted and the remaining one roars out in out rage. "Oh no!" Calumon says and light begins to surround the remaining Digimon. "Cyclonemon Digivolve to… Gigadramon!"

They stare dumbly at the newly Digivolved Gigadramon and Patamon says, "He needs help!" She notices that TK seems reluctant about something and Patamon turns to look his partner in the eye. "Please TK, he could cause a huge amount of damge. People could get hurt if we don't finish this quickly." Patamon pleads with the blond. "But I don't want to lose you again. I don't want to fight." TK says softly.

"It's hard, but we didn't ask them to come here, but they're here and we have to minimize the damage they cause. I know that you don't want to lose Patamon, but we can't let anyone get hurt just because we let that fear consume us. We have to step up and do what we can to protect this world and the Digital one." Takato says, staring at them. She once more notices the look that's on her brother's face and found herself moved by this. "We can't let our fear rule our lives." Takato adds and TK nods. "Ok, we'll win this." TK says with resolve and Patamon looks at TK with a great deal of pride. Patamon then turns and flies off to where Guilmon and Gigadramon are doing battle.

Her heart goes out to the worn out Digimon that's trying his hardest to keep going. "Patamon Digivolve to… Angemon!" She looks on in awe as the tall white figure enters the battle, allowing Guilmon to take a breather. "Takatomon!" Guilmon shouts out and looks over at the goggle wearing boy. Before her eyes Guilmon glows and soon where Guilmon stood there's Guilmon's champion form, Growlmon. "Go get them, boy." She hears Takato say softly and she looks between her brother and the large red dragon that is Growlmon. She just knows that they'll win this; she can feel it in her very being.

(-Gatomon-)

She had heard all of Takato's speech and had to admit that she found it hard not to join in with the pair of attacking Digimon. She was startled at Guilmon's champion form, but found herself staring at Angemon for the most part.

She sighs wistfully as she wonders what it's like to fly. She had seen Guilmon grow glowing wings and fly through the air like he had wings all of his life. Now it seemed that it's more of an aerial battle with Growlmon shooting off a Pyro Blaster every now and then, reminding Gigadramon about the ground bound champion Digimon. She could tell that the angel type Digimon was having trouble with his partner on the ground.

She muses over what the out come will be as Gigadramon is sent flying into another building by one of Growlmon's fire balls. She sighs and glances down at the group of three just below her. She frowns as she looks away; she's at a crossroad between wanting to help and just sitting back or leaving.

Her heart goes out to Kari while she knows that she can't escape Myotismon's wrath if she does betray him. She curses as she doesn't know what to do as the battle rages on between Growlmon, Angemon, and Gigadramon. She can't shake the feeling that she should help out, even if by doing so she betrays her master, but she is also afraid that her master could and would involve Takato and Kari into getting back at her.

She closes her eyes as the blond Digidestine cries out for his partner, which means that the angel Digimon had been hit hard. "Growlmon!" Takato's voice cries out and she hears Kari's voice saying, "No." She snaps and she leaps through the trees with the single thought of Kari being in danger regardless of what she does or doesn't do. _'I can't let anything happen to her! I couldn't live with myself if I just stood by and let her get hurt!'_ Were among the thoughts that were racing through her mind as she lands on Growlmon's nose, she asks, "Mind giving me a boost?" Growlmon hums his agreement and crouches down. Once Growlmon launches himself into the air, she leaps off of Growlmon's head. "Lightning Paw!" She shouts as her paw connects with Gigidramon's shin.

Angemon grabs her as she descends. She feels free for the first time in her life since Myotismon came into her life and she can't help but smile. She might have just signed her own death warrant but she just couldn't let Kari down. She doesn't know how to explain it, but Kari was important to her, more important then whether or not she displeases Myotismon.

To be continued …


	4. Messages from Beyond

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 4

He glances at the sleeping white cat Digimon called Gatomon. He had heard what happened over at the park where Kari, Takato, and TK had been meeting at and curses himself for not being there for the three of them. He's sure that Matt's blaming himself as well as he rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Are you sure that you found it here?" He asks for the tenth time. Takato nods with Gigimon snoring in the young boy's arms. "And you think Gatomon is Kari's partner." Once more the goggle wearing boy nods. "You do realize that if you're right that Myotismon will be after both Gatomon and Kari." He points out and finally his brother sighs before saying, "For the final time, Tai. I think that Kari's the eighth child and that Gatomon is her partner. It also means that you guys should focus on getting the tag and crest back, the real ones I mean."

He sighs and Agumon finishes off his snack as he looks down at his plate. "…" He then looks over at his partner; Agumon has the decency to look shameful under his gaze. "You can have the rest of mine, Tai." Takato says and he glances at Takato's plate and pulls it over. He picks up one of the four cookies and takes a bite out of it.

He sighs and goes over the events that happened once Gatomon joined in the battle of Gigadramon. He had listened to both Kari's and Takato's version of what happened, they both varied about certain things they had agreed that it wasn't some ploy of Myotismon's to get a spy in their mists. He had to admit, the vampire type Digimon didn't seem the type to worry about what his enemies are doing so long as the vampire held the advantage.

(:-:)

He blinks as he watches his partner jump into the air with something white then launching itself off of Growlmon's head. He blinks as that same white thing hits Gigadramon in the chin and watches as Angemon catches whatever it was. Then something happens to his Digivice, he notices that it shook and brought it up and blinks as a window seems to open up.

He hears Kari and TK move closer, he could feel just how close they were to him as they gaze at the images that his Digivice was displaying. It didn't take long before him to realise that they were watching the fight from Growlmon's point of view. "Ok, I want to trade for one of these." TK says as they watch as Gatomon drops from Angemon's arms and onto the shoulder's of Gigadramon.

He blinks and says, "Hold this." He hands it to Kari and takes out his deck once more. He finds another modify card with a pair of bat like wings. "Digimodify! Aero Wing activate!" He says once he gets his D-Ark from his sister and swipes the card through. He blinks as he thinks about what he just called his Digivice, but looks up to see the results of his card slashing.

Growlmon now has leather wings and soon takes to the air, he's glad that it worked, he didn't know how he knew what to do with the cards, but he's just relieved that he hadn't made things worst as Growlmon moves into close combat with Gigadramon. "Dragon Slash!" Growlmon roars out with Angemon shouting, "Hand of Fate!" "Lightning Paw!" Gatomon shouts out, their attacks hit and it seems that getting so many direct hits at once, along with much of the injuries that the ultimate received before finally were too much and roaring in pain, Gigadramon breaks apart into particulars of Data.

The three Digimon land and then two of the Digimon transform back into their usual forms, with Guilmon transforming back into Gigimon. They glance around and took off unnoticed by the police and other emergency agents. With Gatomon staying close to Kari as they flee the scene, in hopes of leaving the area without being spotted by any of the grown ups.

(:-:)

He sighs as once he finishes off the remaining cookies. He glances at the clock and notices that their parents were late. He lets the whole Gatomon thing alone, hoping that it'll sort itself out on its own without Kari getting hurt.

"Their late." Tai says and Takato glances at the clock then nods in agreement with him. "I think something's going to happen, something about …" Takato says, he notices that Takato seems to be frowning about something. "About Myotismon?" "I don't think so, it's something else." His adopted brother says.

He sighs and wonders just how Takato can possibly know what's going to happen before it happens. Kari comes out of the bathroom with her robe on, a towel on her head. "You guys feel that?" Kari asks and he rises an eye brow at his little sister. "It has to be …" Takato says, once more unable to finish what he thinks it is. "It's him." Calumon says from the couch and they look over at the small in-training Digimon.

"I can't recall his name." Takato admits and Calumon's eyes flash with pity before returning to their normal state. "So who is coming then?" He asks, hoping that Calumon will at least answer his question. Kari's almost at the bedroom door when he feels cold all of a sudden. Gigimon wakes and growls, his little brother lets his partner drop to the floor and Gatomon wakes up, looking alert.

"What's going on?" Gatomon demands as the white cat gets up off the couch and heads over to Kari. "I'm what's happening." A voice says and they turn to the front door, they all blink as they find a see through Digimon dressed as a biker standing there, leaning against the wall. Gatomon and Agumon gulp in fright and move protectively between their partners and the odd three eyed Digimon.

"Who's he?" Kari asks, Agumon answers, "He's Beelzemon, a really powerful Digimon who's a Demon Lord. He's an aloof and cruel Digimon that kills anyone who displeases him without any haste and enjoys watching the mayhem that he creates around him play out." "It's great to know that my reputation precedes me, but I'm here to talk to Dino-Boy and Pineapple Head." The biker Digimon says as he nods in Takato and Gigimon's direction. "Oh, that includes the cream puff too." Beelzemon adds as the Digimon stands straight up and takes a few steps towards them.

"I know you, but by a different name." Takato says slowly and Beelzemon just sighs. "Guess it was too much to expect that you'd remember everything, huh Goggle Head? Well, I'm just here to warn you that we haven't been able to locate the bad guy's hideout and we think he's tracked you here so be on your guard. We also concluded that it's you he's after, not Calumon. Why, we don't know and before I go, your parents and people at Hypnos say hey." The biker Digimon says and then fades out of existence, leaving them all silent.

"Dino-Boy?" Kari asks and he follows with, "Pineapple Head?" Takato and Gigimon look at each other and then Takato scratches the side of his head. "I think those are his nicknames for us." Takato admits and he had to wonder what to make of the news of yet another mysterious enemy that's after someone and that someone is not Calumon, but Takato. Just his little adopted brother who he has come love just as much as Kari. He sighs and Kari heads into the bedroom to get dressed.

He gets up off the chair and sits onto the couch, trying to pin point when the world seems to conspire to divide up his family. He just gazes up at the ceiling, totally absorbed in his own thoughts.

(-Takato-)

He glances around the warehouse, Tai and Agumon headed off to the mall to scout around, leaving Matt in charge of Kari and him. Guilmon's currently resting with Calumon on his head while Gabumon is standing with Matt, which leaves him alone with Kari and Gatomon. He especially kept an eye on Gatomon, not that he distrusts her, only that Gatomon has been blaming herself for Myotismon's actions, despite that Kari and him keep trying to tell her other wise.

He also noted that Matt seems to have his mind on something other then what's going on within the warehouse. He sighs, for he had this strangest feeling that Matt should remind him of someone, he just can't think who though. While a part of him wants to go and engage Matt in conversation, another part wants to remain with Kari and Gatomon, he can't help but feel that it's important that he stays by his adopted sister and her partner.

He leans on the box behind him as his legs dangle from the edge of the box he's sitting on. Kari and Gatomon are currently on the ground before the box; just standing with their eyes gazed over, clearly lost in their own thoughts. He glances up and out of the window that's high up as his thoughts drift onto whether Tai's ok and whether or not his older brother has been captured by Myotismon.

He jerks forward at a screech ringing through the air. He glances towards Matt and Gabumon, only to find that the pair were already heading out of the warehouse, Guilmon woke and sent Calumon onto the ground. He pushes himself off the crate and lands on the ground as Guilmon follows Matt and Gabumon outside with Kari and Gatomon trailing after. He blinks as Calumon floats in the air, then they glance at each other and he runs to catch up with his partner and adopted sister with Calumon pacing him by flying to his left side.

He blinks as he stops before the door to the warehouse. He stares as a pair of Digimon battle Birdramon and Garurumon. He take notice as Guilmon and Gatomon battle this ghost Digimon in grey clothing and a red robe and hood with his weapon being a scythe. He flinches as Guilmon is sent flying into a wall. Gatomon is soon wrapped up in the chain that's attached to the scythe.

"Guilmon…" He says softly and his Digivice soon beeps. Light engulfs Guilmon's form and soon reveals Growlmon. He smiles and he blinks and takes out his Digivice. An image of the ghost appears.

**Phantomon**

Ultimate Level Digimon

Virus attribute

Ghost type. Attacks are Shadow Scythe and Father Time.

He reads out loud, Kari sighs to his right. He looks startled at his adopted sibling and grins sheepishly at Kari. Kari looks amused while Matt and Sora shout out encouragements to their partners. They look back to the fight between Gatomon and Growlmon vs Phantomon.

They watch as Growlmon attempts to slash at Phantomon with his claws. Gatomon is taking a breather, thus allowing Growlmon to fight the ultimate on his own for now. His other hand goes straight to his card deck as he watches worriedly as Phantomon hits his partner with a Shadow Scythe, knocking Growlmon off balance. Birdramon hits Growlmon from behind, knocking the red virus Digimon onto the ground, face first.

"Birdramon!" Sora cries out and he watches as light covers the flaming bird Digimon. "Birdramon Digivolve to… Garudromon!" The bird looking human shouts out. "She Digivolved into an ultimate." He says to himself. He glances back to Growlmon, something beginning to click in his mind. His fingers take out a random card from his card deck. He focuses in the card between his fingers.

He watches as the card turns totally blue. He turns it over in his fingers, then he holds up his Digivice and swipes the edge of the blue card through the card slot. Growlmon shouts out, "Growlmon Digivolve to… WarGrowlmon!" Many stop what they're doing and gasp in awe at the cyber dragon that now resides in their mist.

He notices the lower jaws on his partner and friend; he blinks at the metal teeth and then looks at the metal plating on the neck. Then on the red metal that encases his partner's upper body. He notices the mechanical arms with a large blade on each limb. The remainder of WarGrowlmon's body was organic. _'Atomic Blaster and Radiation Blade, those are his attacks now.'_ He thinks to himself as he puts the card back, but clutches his D-Ark; he remembers that's what his Digivice is called.

"Go get him, boy." He says softly and he feels his partner's agreement. He blinks in surprise and in confusion at the feeling as WarGrowlmon attacks the stunned Phantomon. Phantomon is sent flying into the building behind him. "Atomic Blaster!" WarGrowlmon shouts out as the guns on the chest power up. Soon red beams shot out, straight at where the hole made by Phantomon being sent into the building by his partner.

That startles the other two out of their trance. The pair flees before Garudromon, Gatomon, and Garurumon recover. A scents of pride washes over him before his partner transforms back into a rookie. He races towards his partner; Guilmon perks up and turns towards him. He jumps up and hugs his partner around the neck. "You did great!" He says before he's forced to let go and lands on his feet.

Guilmon looks shy under the praise and Calumon circles around his partner chatting about things he wasn't focusing on what the in-training Digimon is saying. He glances and finds that the others were crowding around something on the ground. Guilmon's head snaps upwards and he stares as something floats off the warehouse's roof. "Wizardmon!" Gatomon shouts as the cat Digimon moves between the wizard type Digimon and the group, minus Calumon, Guilmon, and him.

He blinks as Wizardmon lets something within his hand drop into Gatomon's paws once the Digimon walked up to the white cat Digimon. "Is this…" Gatomon says, trailing off. "I was able to sneak into the coffin two days ago, when it was my turn on guard duty." Wizardmon answers Gatomon's unspoken question. He is officially confused as he watches as Matt begins questioning Wizardmon, he sighs and grins as Guilmon nudges him in the back.

Guilmon looks pointedly at the warehouse. He nods as he begins to understand what his friend and partner means. He picks up Calumon out of the air and walks towards the warehouse, he glances back at the group, an ache develops as his mind drifts off to Beelzemon and the friends slash team mates he once worked with. He feels like he has a gapping hole within his heart at the fact that he barely remembers his friends and family. He prays that he'll be able to remember before he faces this enemy that hunts him.

(-Kari-)

Her hand touches the tag that contains the crest of Light. She glances around, looking for her 'twin' brother as well as Guilmon and Calumon. She doesn't see them around and stares at the warehouse; it's where Matt, Takato, and her packs are. She chews lightly on her bottom lip as she suddenly feels variable without Takato around, despite the fact that not only was Gatomon with her, but also Matt, Gabumon, Sora, Biyomon, Lillymon, and now Wizardmon surrounding her.

"Kari?" Gatomon asks softly, she looks down into Gatomon's worried blue eyes. "Sorry, it's just that I can't see Takato." She whispers to her partner. Gatomon blinks and then glances around in search of the young goggle wearing boy. "Maybe's he's getting the packs?" Gatomon suggests softly. She thinks about it and then nods slowly, suddenly feeling better. "That makes scents." She says after about a few seconds. Gatomon smiles reassuringly and she returns to listening in on the plans that Matt's suggesting.

"… we wait for another hour and if Tai's not back, we head to the mall and fight our way in." Matt finishes saying. Just as Sora was about to ask something, familiar voices shout out through the mist. "Matt!" "Sora!" they turn to find TK with Patamon and Joe with Gomamon running towards them. "TK!" Matt shouts and races to his younger brother, she smiles as the two brothers embrace each other. Joe takes time to breath as the others surrounding her head off to talk with the Digidestined of Reliability.

She glances over at the warehouse and then back over at the others. She turns and walks towards the warehouse to see if Takato really was within the building. Gatomon was with the others, so it means that she's on her own. She finally makes it to where the packs are and finds Takato going through his bag. "Hey." She says, this startles Takato as he looks up with a surprise expression. "Hey." Takato replies and then begins to stuff the items back into the bag.

She watches her brother with worried eyes. "Are you ok?" She asks. Takato pauses and sits back onto the ground. "I don't know… It's kind of got to me when I saw you guys with Wizardmon. I mean, I had friends that were also comrades and I don't remember them too good. I just have flickers of memories, nothing seem fit together. I got this hole inside and I just feel…" Takato says as he trails off, his eyes staring off into space, clearly lost in his own thoughts.

She moves and hugs her adopted brother. "It'll work out and I'm sure they understand. You'll remember when the time's right, Takato." She says in hopes of comforting the boy who's practically her brother, even though they're not related through blood. "I know that, it's just that until then, it's just guess work." The goggle wearing boy says. "Until then, I'll be here, so will Guilmon and Tai. You said that it'll be a few years before you can head back, so you can wait a few days or weeks before your memory returns, right?" She says and her brother nods in agreement.

After a few minutes, they then begin to finish putting the scattered items back into Takato's bag. Soon Guilmon and Calumon return with some junk food, though Guilmon was carrying the most of it. "Where did you two find those?" Takato asks. "There's this machine that was keeping them hostage so we freed them, Takatomon!" Guilmon says cheerfully. She blinks and pieces together. "Those were vending machines! You're supposed to put money into them." She exclaims in surprise. Guilmon cocks his head to the side and asks, "Really Karimon?" "Yes really." Takato says in an amused tone.

Guilmon's ears drooped showing that the virus feels sad. She says, "Might as well take it with us, since I think it'll be thrown out." Guilmon ears perk up and the rookie grins happily as Calumon cheers. Takato finally shoulders his pack as she picks up her pack. They exchange looks and then stare down at Matt's pack. Takato's eyes flicker towards Guilmon and she gives her brother a puzzling look as Takato grins, clearly having an idea on how to carry Matt's back pack out of the warehouse. She watches as Takato walk up to Guilmon and begins to whisper something to his partner. She wonders just what Takato's planning, though she was beginning to think it involved Guilmon in a way…

(-Tai-)

He just knew that he should have headed back once he saw Birdramon flying away from the mall, but no, he wanted to see what caused Sora and her partner to flee and now he's bait. Yes, he Tai, leader of the Digidestine and bearer of the Crest of Courage was plain, ordinary bait. He glares at the chains holding Agumon, maybe if he glared hard enough he'd make the chains bend under the heat of his gaze. Sadly, it seems the chains were uninformed about this and so they didn't play along, they just continued to hold Agumon about two feet in the air and undamaged under his death glare.

His eyes flicker to where his Digivice and his tag are, then onto the Digimon that's guarding them. The white armoured fish Digimon is called Coelamon and he had run out of puns and jokes a while ago, so he just sat on the chair, bounded by ordinary rope, not chains, just white braided rope. He didn't know if he should be relieved or insulted that Myotismon decided that he wasn't _worthy_ being bound with chains like Agumon currently is.

He had seen Mimi as he had been dragged through the crowd of kids, he didn't know how it was that Myotismon hadn't spotted a Digidestine among the humans he has hostage, but he does know that if Mimi does get around to helping him, all she would need to get rid of the binding ropes would be a sharp knife. He wonders ideally what would happen if Myotismon had either Kari or Gatomon, he doubts that either of them would have been left alone, most likely, Myotismon would stick around to keep an eye on either of them.

As he begins to once more reflect on how insulting it was for Myotismon to believe he's harmless, a pair of Digimon comes thundering into the mall. "Some powerful Digimon took out Phantomon!" The green dino shouts out once the mon stands where he can see him. He blinks, wondering just who this powerful Digimon could be to take out that reaper reject.

"Who did it?" Myotismon demands, the murmuring among Myotismon's henchmen stopped at the sound of vampire's voice. "That red Digimon that with that odd Digivice." The Digimon answers. "He Digivolved into a cyborg type and took Phantomon out with on hit!" The Digimon added.

His eyes widen as he realised who the green Digimon was talking about. _'Guilmon when ultimate? Then it won't be long before Takato and Guilmon Bio Merge.'_ He thinks to himself. His thoughts turned onto what that biker Digimon called Beelzemon had said a few days ago. His worry for Kari and Gatomon fades as he thinks about this unknown enemy that's out to get his little brother, who had already taken out most of Takato's group of chosen.

He blinks a few times as Myotismon spreads his arms wide and then he feels sleepy, for at least a few seconds before his crest glows softly before returning to its usual non glowing look. He keeps his head down, after a few minutes; Coelamon leaves Agumon and him alone on the second level of the mall.

He doesn't know how long it's been before he hears someone moving behind him. He waits until a whine behind him. "Why couldn't they have left the elevators on?" He turns his head and finds Mimi glaring at the elevator doors. "Mimi! Forget about that for a minute and come untie me!" He says in a loudish voice, but not too loud since he doubts that Myotismon took all of his underlings.

Mimi complained as she attempts to undo the knots. He tones her out and focuses in on Agumon. Agumon hadn't woken up yet since he had been forced to transform back into his rookie form. He bites his lower lip as he stares at his partner with worried eyes. Once Mimi finishes untying him, he bolts straight to Agumon and begins to loosen the chains around Agumon's arms. "Please help get Agumon down, Mimi. I can't do this by myself." He says, he hears Mimi make an agreeing sound before joining him with getting Agumon down.

They hear banging and as he eases Agumon onto the floor, he remembers to grab his Digivice and crest from the table. "Joe! Lillymon!" Mimi cries out, he turns his head and finds a fairy looking Digimon with leaf wings heading their way. He then returns to looking at Agumon as he hears his partner stir. "Agumon, are you alright?" He asks Agumon as his partner's eyes open.

"Is there anything to eat?" Agumon asks and he just grins at his partner's answer. "We'll find something later." He says as he finally stands up. As he stands, his back cracks and he suddenly feels sore. He frowns as he realises that his time bound to that chair as made his body stiff and that it was finally catching up to him. "Tai?" Agumon asks in a concerned voice. "I'm just sore from sitting, I'll be fine." He says to his partner. Agumon nods, though his partner's eyes were still filled with concern for him.

"Hurry up Tia! The others need us!" Mimi shouts out from where Joe is. He blinks and sighs, "Agumon?" "Ready, Tai." The dino Digimon says and soon Greymon stands by his side. He climbs on and soon the large Dinosaur Digimon leaps from the ruined part of the second floor and smashes through the door way, the rubble flying outward, out of the building. "What are we waiting for?" He asks Joe, Lillymon, and Mimi, they are currently staring at Greymon and him. "Let's get going!" He says, that snaps them out of their staring and they soon head off to where the battle is taking place.

He's worried that whoever wants Takato might strike now, as they're busy dealing with Myotismon. He wants to get rid of Myotismon as quickly as possible. He doesn't like that Takato's currently a target for someone who's strong enough that caused Takato to flee his home dimension. _'Please let me be wrong, I don't think want to see my little brother vanish before my eyes without doing anything to prevent.'_ He thinks to himself as Greymon races towards the battle that the others are currently engaging in.

(-Gatomon-)

She glances over to where WarGrowlmon stands in a protective stands where the eight year olds are standing. The few of the enemy Digimon that got by them ended up being sliced by WarGrowlmon's blades, which was most likely why Matt had insisted that TK stays with Kari and Takato. TK had seemed kind of sad that Matt didn't think that Angemon could protect him, but when Sora explained that it would distract Angemon from battling if TK was left unguarded, though she wonders just how the others could explain why they're not following their own advice.

She returns her attention to her battle with Tuskmon, Wizardmon was helping WereGarurumon keep Myotismon occupied; DemiDevimon had fled once the battle started. She had only snorted at the rookie's display of cowardice; she never liked the virus anyway and figured that if Myotismon wins, that the rookie would be the first underling to get punished for fleeing from battle.

She weaves out of the path of an attack, cursing that Wizardmon and her recruited such strong opponents for the Digital vampire. She leaps off of one of Tuskmon's tusks and descended downward towards the head. "Lightning Paw!" She shouts as her paw connects, she jumps off the head as a large fire ball hits Tuskmon, she glances to the source and finds Tai and his partner Greymon entering the scene.

"Tai!" Most of the Digidestine shout out about the same time. Tai climbs off of Greymon and soon MetalGreymon stands where Greymon had stood, thus MetalGreymon joins the battle, this helps the other Digimon determination and they attack with renewed vigour. She shakes her head slightly as she dodges an attack by a Bakemon, the one she really wants to get her claws into was Myotismon…

(-Takato-)

He blinks as he watches VemonMyotismon disintegrate. He can't help but get the feeling that the vampire Digimon wasn't gone, which kind of makes him frown as he tries to think of how he would know that. He cocks his head to the side as he replays what happened since Gatomon Digivolved into Angewomon.

He shakes his head, something tells him that something big is about to happen and his eyes travel upwards, as if expecting something to reveal itself. He blinks rapidly as the sky begins to alter, then it seems to rip apart the blackness and replacing some portions with terrain that seems to be located in the Digital World. _'So when will Myotismon make his move?'_ He thinks as he realises that if something knew this was going to happen for then it means that they haven't seen the last of Myotismon.

He turns and glances over to where Calumon and Guilmon were. Guilmon turns and they stare into each other's eyes. He swallows, knowing that they're about to confront the one that caused them to be here, not that he's complaining, but he knew that they shouldn't be here. He seeks out the group that his older brother leads, he signals to Guilmon to follow and then walks towards the group of eight, knowing that this might be the last time they'd be able to help them with their destiny.

"Calumon, could you stick close to Kari and Tai?" He asks the in-training Digimon. "I guess… but you'll come back, right?" The white Digimon chimes in. "We'll be ok; I just don't want you to be alone if Guilmon and I get separated from the group." He answers. Out of the corner of his eye, Calumon nods, clearly not wanting to say anything at the moment.

"Takato! I think we're about to leave!" Tai shouts and Guilmon and him pick up the pace, they reach the others just as the light begins to lifts them up. He glances at the parents around them, he knows that his adopted parents will be worried, he knows that so will Kari and Tai, when Guilmon and him confront the enemy that's been hunting for him.

'_I can't think negatively, I'm not going down with out a fight and I just know that Guilmon feels the same way. So we do something as quick as we can before it comes…'_ He thinks to himself as they descend towards the ground. He takes off his knapsack, knowing that someone will grab it once it happens. _'They'll need it more then we will.'_ He thinks softly to himself.

He feels a pull and shouts, "Guilmon!" Guilmon nods and soon he touches his D-Ark against his skin. "Guilmon Bio Merge to…" Guilmon's voice says and then in their dual voice, "Gallantmon!" "So we have a special knight!" A voice says and he knows just what kind of trail the group will under go when they're gone. _"We'll get Piedmon… he's the strongest and with him out of the way, the other masters will be at each other's throats!"_ He says within Gallantmon. _"Ok!"_ Guilmon says and as the clown appears, they say as one, "Lightning Joust!"

To be continued …


	5. Relationships

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 5

He stares as Gallantmon disappears with the lance in the clown Digimon. Once the knight is gone, so does the clown and the black parts of the large mountain. "Takato…" He says his little brother's name in disbelief, not wanting to accept that the eight year old goggle wearing kid was no longer before him.

They blink as something shoots out of the tall grass, a blur hits Mimi and they find a purple rodent cowering in Mimi's arms. "Chuumon! What's going on here? Who was that clown?" Mimi asks, trying to comfort the rookie Digimon. "Well, once you guys left, the Dark Masters began to conquer the Digital world and that clown was Piedmon, the strongest of the four Dark Masters. So that knight did you guys a huge favour by getting Piedmon right off the bat." Chuumon answers.

They all shift uncomfortably as they contemplate Takato and Guilmon's last gift of aid. He glances around and finds Calumon sitting on what seems to be Takato's pack. He walks over and picks it up as the others ask Chuumon for more detail. He kneels down and says softly, "I'm sure Takato and Guilmon will come back. He's stronger then what's after him." Calumon looks up and nods. "So, he left his pack here, huh? I guess he meant for us to have it." He says after Calumon does answer. Calumon jumps onto his shoulder and then climbs onto his head, he sighs and picks the bag off the ground.

Once he shoulders it, he returns to the group and just as he's about to say something, something hits the ground and soon angry voice sound out through the air as three Digimon seem to be arguing about who's going to do away with the 'Digidobes.' He watches as a metal Seadramon glides through the air towards them, only to evade laser fire. "That's it, this means war! Plus I'm going solo!" The metal coated SeaDramon roars out and glides away.

Soon a wooden puppet appears charging towards them, soon they turn as something really large lands behind them. They turn as one and find a huge robotic Digimon standing behind them. "Machinedramon! These brats are mine!" The wooden puppet says. "With Piedmon out of the way, I'm clearly the strongest out of the Dark Masters. As such, I shall destroy them." The metal mega says in an eerier calm and hollow voice.

Then the puppet mega growls and shouts out, "We'll see about that! I challenge you! The winner gets to kill the Digipunks!" They watch the exchange between the two megas and they didn't know which was worst, that the two Digimon weren't paying any attention or that the pair continues to insult them while they're standing right there.

Suddenly, they're traveling at high speeds away from the soon to be battle ground between two Dark Masters. "Piximon!" He and the others shout out as they realise who it was that rescued them, with the exception of Kari, Calumon, and Gatomon. The pink Digimon nods in acknowledgment and greeting, keeping the grave expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asks as the spokes person for the group. "Things had been bad, but now it looks like it's going to be worst now that Piedmon is out of the picture. The clown is… was rather the leader of the four, for he is… was the strongest out of the Dark Masters. Piedmon was the one that was the glue that held them together as well." The pink champion Digimon sighs, before continuing on. "Now it's going to be a war zone on Spiral Mountain, I don't envy you, Digidestine, but keep in mind that I'll try my best to help you in anyway I can. Yes I truly will." Piximon said that last part in a really low voice; if he hadn't been close to the legendary train he wouldn't have heard it.

"You mean you'll not be traveling with us?" Mimi asks in alarm. The pixie Digimon smiles gently and says, "This journey is as well as always been your destiny, this is your adventure to experience as well as to learn from." Then Piximon focuses in on Chuumon, he had forgotten that the mouse Digimon was with them. "I hope you'll take my offer of protection, young one." Then Piximon's eyes flicker to Calumon, as if the champion just realise that the white Digimon was with them. Piximon blinks for a minute, a flicker of uncertainty flash in Piximon's eyes for a few seconds.

"I'm staying." Calumon says in a firm voice. "Takato asked that I remain and I will." The in-training Digimon adds, almost challenging Piximon to try and convince him other wise. "Are you sure?" Piximon asks. Calumon nods as he says, "I'm been through tons of really dangerous things before I ever came here. Besides, I know that Takato and Guilmon will return, they promised and Takato always keeps his promises."

He wasn't the only who blinked at that, he hadn't paid much attention to Takato just before they came to the Digital World, he feels extremely guilty about it now as he smiles grimly as he replays the memory of the mega Knight that was both Takato and Guilmon. Piximon nods and without warning, Pximon's sphere stops in a forest area. "I wish you all luck and hopefully we'll meet again before this is all over." Piximon says and they walk through the sphere, Chuumon remaining within the sphere.

The entrance vanishes, thus leaving them alone in an area that belongs to a Dark Master. He glances at Kari, he sighs as TK moves to be by Kari. He glances over at Matt, Matt nods his head slight, agreeing that they'll keep an eye out on each other's younger siblings. _'I hope Takato and Guilmon are alright.'_ He thinks as he glances around at their surroundings with a critical eye. He wonders if this might not be Puppetmon's territory, for a wooden Digimon would want an area that would match him in some way.

(-Takato-)

His head hurts as he tries to steady himself. Guilmon was busy muttering about driers for some odd reason. He sighs and then notices that as Gallantmon, they were currently laying on the ground. He says from his sphere, _"We need to get up off the ground, boy. I hope this doesn't last too long."_ Guilmon hums his agreement and soon they are looking around, trying to figure out where they are.

They stiffen as they hear the flapping of wings. As one they glance up wards and then they throw themselves to the left, evading the descending purple armoured Digimon with red and black wings. The Digimon's tail has a large metal bar made up of metal bars; at the center is a solid metal surface where the tail meets the metal workings. He takes notice of the yellow designs on the purple armour as they stand up and take a defensive stance.

"This is who my master wants? Pitiful! I am DeathXDorugoramon, proud servant of Lord Grandracmon! Surrender now or I'll swipe the floor with your face!" The Digimon now identified as DeathXDorugoramon states, within his sphere, he blinks and shivers slightly as he stares at the mega through Gallantmon's eyes. _"I don't like the looks of him, Takato. There's something unnatural about him."_ Guilmon says. _"I know, but we don't have much of a choice, boy. We have to face him or we won't see Kari, Calumon, or Tai ever again."_ He replies, steeling himself from his fright. _"I wish I had eaten some Guilmon Bread before we came here."_ Guilmon says wistfully. He chuckles and nods in agreement.

He smiles grimly as he says, _"Let's see what this guy's made of!"_ They charge towards the winged mega with Lightning Joust. DeathXDorugoramon jerks out of the way, but the attack hits some of the wings, cutting through them with the bottom parts falling off. They turn to face the other mega and watch as he laughs. Before their eyes the parts of the wing float and reconnect with the wings that they had cut. _"Oh boy."_ He says in shock. Guilmon hums his agreement as he begins to wonder how much energy that kind of healing takes as the mega continues to laugh before them. He's just hopes that this will buy them enough time for him to come up with a plan, for they really do need a plan for the up coming battle if they wish to survive this and get back with his adopted siblings and the other Digidestine, plus Calumon.

(-Gatomon-)

She glances around the forest from her vantage point, wondering just what kind of Digimon they'll encounter along their way to Puppetmon's base. As she glances around, her thoughts wondered back to her time as Angewomon. A soft smile appears as she remembers her experience of having her own wings as well as hurting her former 'master.'

Her eyes seek out Kari without her knowing. She sighs, knowing that Kari had been hit the hardest by Takato's disappearance and Tai seems to be a bit grim about what happened as well. TK's been sticking around Kari, trying to take up Takato's duty of protecting Kari, she wishes TK luck, for she likes the Digidestine of Hope. She just hopes that Kari will open up to TK almost like she would with Takato, knowing that Kari would find it easier opening up young humans around her age then with her partner.

'_I wonder if I'll see her again after this is all over? I know that Guilmon and Calumon will most likely stick close to Takato and therefore with Kari and Tai. Have the other Digimon thought about it? But can I really leave the Digital World and remain with at Kari's side? Can I make that kind of sacrifice?'_ She thinks to herself, kind of bumming herself out with thoughts of the future. Her ears drooped and then scaring her for the second time, Calumon says from behind her, "Why are you sad?"

She turns around quickly, almost losing her balance as she does. "I'm not sad!" She protests. Calumon's ears grow small and the little white Digimon cocks his head cutely to the side, his bright green eyes focused on her. "You sure looked like a sour puss a few moments ago." Was Calumon's answer. She gives the in-training Digimon a sour look before saying, "You wouldn't understand." She looks away, back down to where the others were gathered.

"You sound just like Rika." Calumon comments and she snorts. "And she is?" "She's Renamon's Tamer and Takato's girlfriend, or at least that's what Impmon and Terriermon say. She also doesn't like Ryo for some odd reason." Calumon says the last part thoughtfully. Her eyes widen at the girlfriend comment, clearly surprise by it for she still finds it hard to think of Takato being older then what he appears to be. "I once asked Henry about it and he glared at Terriermon and grounded Terriermon for three days, though I never got an answer about whether or not Takato and Rika were going 'out.'" She snorts slightly, guessing that this Henry was Terriermon's partner. "I don't get what they mean by that, going 'out.' I go out of buildings all the time, sure I accompany Jeri and others out of buildings but Impmon says that it doesn't mean that kind of going 'out.' I even asked Jeri if somehow Takato and Rika were going through each other too. She just offered me a bag of cream puffs now that I think about it."

She smiles and chuckles slightly, shaking her head at how naïve Calumon is. While she does know what kind of 'going out' those two Digimon were talking about, she's not about to explain what humans call the 'birds and the bees' to the innocent Digimon before her. "I think Joe and Sora will be returning from their attempts at fishing." She says, changing the subject, feeling better then she had been.

(-Kari-)

She sighs as she looks up into the night sky. She's worried about Takato and Guilmon, for it feels so odd not to have them around, not seeing them or listening Guilmon chatting with Calumon about the oddest things. She shakes her head slightly, trying her hardest to try and not willing to continue along that kind of thinking, for it would only drag her down. She glances over to where TK is and sighs.

She likes TK, though it was kind of apparent that TK was at a lost of what to talk to her about. TK's definitely hasn't spent enough time around girls to be able to see that it's easier to deal with them as people. She giggles slightly as she remembers how TK talk about video games for about ten minutes, by then he had kind of told her most of what he knew about video games and what were his favourites.

They then sat there for another five before TK asked what she wanted to talk about. They then chatted about school and a bit about TV shows as well as movies that they've seen just normal things that they both enjoy and have opinions about. She wonders how long it'll take for TK to realise she doesn't like, want, or expect special treatment because she's a girl. She hopes that they'll be really good friends by the time this is over, she has this feeling that they'll won't be seeing Takato and Guilmon until they're finished. She doesn't doubt that Takato and Guilmon won't come back; a part of her has faith that they'll defeat whoever they're up against.

'_Takato has to be special enough for some unknown guy to want to kidnap him, right? Guilmon's not a push over either. I mean, there's more to being strong then just physical strength, right?'_ She thinks as she closes her eyes, soon she drifts off to sleep. She takes a glance over at Gatomon before closing her eyes for the final time that night.

(-Tai-)

He clutches his Digivice as he watches a bunch of Garbagemon continue to pelt their partners. They had just had a run in with MetalEtemon as well as SaberLeomon with a side of Ogremon. It had taken WarGreymon, SaberLeomon, and MetalGarurumon time not only to attacks the metal plated monkey Digimon, but also to protect them from the guy's attack.

In the end, Zudomon's hammer cracked the surface of the metal coating which allowed MetalGarurumon's missiles to finish the metal monkey off. SaberLeomon had protected not just Mimi, but also Ogremon from the blunt of MetalEtemon's Metal Punch. The proud lion Digimon was deleted from that course of action. Ogremon too had surprise them all, for the virus had tears flowing down his face as SaberLeomon's body dissipated into partials of data.

He growls as his eyes narrow in anger, he's had it and he picks up a stone. "Tai!" Izzy says as he throws the rock, it hit the metal lid of one of the eight Garbagemon. That got their attention and he taunts them and then turns away and runs, hoping that they'll follow him away from the others. "You guys really need to clean up your act!" He shouts before he goes into a dead run, away from the group. "Tai!" The others shout out his name, he races through the undergrowth without knowing where he's headed.

He stumbles as exhaustion over takes him. He blinks as he look up and stares as a group of water type Digimon blink blankly at him. Then as the Garbagemon come running up from behind him, they two opposing groups begin shouting about their masters. He crawling away from the fighting that's just started, he thanks his lucky stars that those Digimon loyal to MetalSeadramon were there. After crawling a ways away, he gets up off the ground and then begins to walk back towards the group of Digidestine.

He sighs as he comes across his friends and younger sibling. Soon the others lecture him about how reckless that had been and how he can't just do something so hazardous now that they're getting close to Puppetmon's base. He sighs and as it dies down, Sora then finally asks, "How did you lose them?" He scratches the back of his head as he says, "I stumbled across a group of MetalSeadramon loyalists." The others look worried and they're soon on the move once more.

He doesn't take the lead, allowing the others to pass him until he's walking with Kari and TK. Gatomon's being carried by Kari, though the white cat Digimon seems slightly irked about that but seems to be resided to being carried. Patamon's on TK's head, his usual spot. Izzy and Joe were talking in quiet tones as Sora listening to Mimi chat about how yucky those Garbagemon. Ogremon was trailing behind; he did notice that Ogremon's arm has been looked after and was now in a sling.

He studies the champion Digimon for a few moments before glancing over at where Matt and Gabumon were. He sighs and glances down at Agumon, he wondered just what they used to get rid of the rotten smell that been emulating from that pink stuff that the Garbagemon were launching at their partners. _'Maybe Mimi use perfume?'_ He muses as he glances at said pink wearing Digidestine.

He turns and glances down at Kari and then over at TK. He smiles slightly as he notices how nervous TK looks, walking to Kari's right. He remembers how he use to act around Sora after he learnt that his friend was a girl. He had trouble cause she use to dress up like a boy and it took about a week before he stopped tip toeing around Sora and just flat out asked how she wanted to be treated. A sheepish grin appears as he remembers Sora's answer.

He sighs and then frowns as he looks around, he knows that something's missing, he wonders what though. He checks people's heads and then notices how free moving almost everyone's arms were. Then it clicks, he stops and begins to stand in one spot, turning around in hopes that Calumon was floating above them.

"Oh no." He says out loud, beginning to worry about where the green eyed Digimon might have gone. "What now?" Matt asks, clearly irk about stopping so soon. "Calumon's missing." He answers and soon the others stop and also glancing around for the missing Digimon. "Ok, spread out, we'll met back here in fifteen minutes. Ogremon, rest here for now." He orders and soon they're moving leaving a protesting Champion Digimon alone within seconds.

He moves some branches out of the way, holding them so that Agumon moves before him. "He might show up later, Tai. He's survived this long without anyone watching over him." Agumon says. He sighs as he lets go of the branches. "I know, but he's… he's Takato's friend, Agumon. Takato asked him to stay with us and he can't defend himself. Besides, it's odd not having him around chatting about this, that, and another thing." He says as they continue through the forest.

His partner sighs, his gaze flickers to Agumon and he smiles slight. "Jealous?" He says teasingly. Agumon puffs up and crosses his arms over his chest as he shakes his head no. "Why should I be jealous of that little cream puff?" Agumon demands. "How about the fact he ate the last cookie? Or that he finished off your bottle of pop?" He says lightly, grinning as Agumon finally snaps. "Well, I'm your partner and he's not so there! I just don't get why that mon's important is all." Agumon says angrily. "Ahh, Agumon! I didn't know you cared!" He says and this causes Agumon to stumble and go shy.

He smiles at his partner and says after a few seconds, "That really does mean a lot, Agumon. I mean, looking at Takato's relationship with Guilmon, it makes me feel kind of bad on our partnership. I really take you for grated and you're the one that's fighting our enemies. I mean, all I seem to do is stand around and shout out commands and stuff. I can't really help you in a battle, not the way Takato can with Guilmon." "Tai." Agumon says, he studies a leaf as if it's the most interesting thing in the world. "Just having you around helps me to be stronger. Besides, I'm not Guilmon, I don't need to be watched every minute of the day. I also don't need to listen to everything you say." He says, "Hey!" as Agumon continues, "But we're together and that's good enough for me." He smiles and says, "Same here, bud, same here." They hug for a few seconds before they resume their search for the missing mon.

(-Matt-)

He blinks as he notices Calumon sitting on a log. He glances at his Digivice, noticing that he has about three minutes before they have to meet up again. He walks towards the quiet Digimon, kind of unnerved about how still and quiet the in-training Digimon was being. "Calumon?" He asks softly.

Calumon turns and then glances away, clearly not wanting them to be there. He glances at Gabumon for support, knowing that he doesn't have a way with words. "Why are you by yourself, Calumon? Everyone's worried about you." His partner asks as they stand behind the normally cheerful Digimon. "I wanted to help, but I didn't know if it would work in this place. I didn't want to make things worst…" Calumon says quietly.

His startled by that and Gabumon and him share looks before he asks, "Nothing wrong with wanting to help, right?" Gabumon hums his agreement but Calumon just sighs. "Nobody blames you for not helping out in battle, Calumon. You're an in-training Digimon after all." His partner says. "But I'm not like regular Digimon!" Calumon says. "I don't have any attacks and I don't even know if I can Digivolve." The white Digimon adds. "Well, what did you do for Takato's group?" He asks.

Calumon turns around and studies them with his bright green eyes, with a serious expression on his face. "I'm the catalyst for the Light of Digivolution for Takato, Guilmon, and my world." Calumon states and he blinks as Gabumon stares dumbly at the in-training Digimon. He didn't know whether this was a joke or what, until he watches Calumon turn away from them, he blinks rapidly as his Digivice beeps; he glances at it and finds that he's late for meeting up with the others.

He sighs and scoops Calumon up and says, "Well, we're supposed to be with the others, you can explain how that came about, ok?" He then walks away from the log, still holding Calumon with Gabumon following behind him. Thoughts of holding his little brother float within his mind, making him loosen his grip slightly on Calumon, allowing the little guy to get comfortable in his arms. He wonders just what to make of that confession, he truly doesn't know much about Digimon or the Digital World, but he guesses that Calumon being this catalyst was weird even by Digital World standards.

(-Tai-)

They were about to head off in Matt's direction as Matt steps out of the undergrowth with Calumon resting in the blond's arms. "Matt?" He asks, kind of stunned that the older blond was actually holding Calumon chest level. He's not the only one staring at the very uncommon sight and Matt's clearly uncomfortable as well.

Calumon's ears grow and soon the white Digimon is floating in the air, the white Digimon's expression filled with uncertainty about something. "I'm the Catalyst of Digivolution for my world." Calumon states in an extremely neutral tone. They all just blink at hearing Calumon's tone and then rapidly as what Calumon says begins to sink in.

"How's that possible? You can't just bottle it up!" Gatomon asks, she being the first to actually say something within the few minutes of silence. "The Sovereigns did it to keep the D-Reaper from waking." Calumon says. "What's this D-Reaper?" Izzy asks. "It's this thing that's been around deleting Digimon for years. It woke up and it followed us to the real world and tried to delete it along with the Digital World. Jeri was so sad and it was using her voice and stuff. It was defeated, but Digimon had to leave the real world for a bit." Calumon says.

He perks at the mention of this Jeri person, he remembers Takato crying out in his sleep about her. He glances to where Kari is, guessing that similar thoughts were going through her mind as well. "How can this D-Reaper delete Digimon? What was it?" Izzy asks, but it was clear that Calumon didn't know that much about it, only saying it was something really bad and that it was feeding off of Jeri's sadness over her partner's death, her partner is seems was a Leomon.

While it was clear that they'll need to talk with Takato about this D-Reaper, Ogremon pipes in and asks a question that hadn't crossed their minds just yet. "So you can Digivolve Digimon in this world?" Calumon sighs and answers, "I don't know." "Well, when do you usually do it?" Ogremon asks. "In battle." Calumon answers. With that Calumon did something you kind of expected, he fell asleep and fell into Sora's lap.

"I guess the little guy's tired." He states dryly. Soon Sora picks Calumon up and holds the little guy to her chest as they journey on. They had a lot to think about and he just hopes that they'll at least find a safe place to spend the night.

(-Takato-)

In their dual voice they voice their pain as they clutch their right side. The Digimon before them waits patiently for them to come at him once more. _"We really need help with this guy. But I do have to wonder, how much energy does it cost him to heal himself and when it some get low enough, will he still act this way?"_ He says within Gallantmon. _"I wish someone was here to help us."_ Guilmon says in agreement.

They straighten up and unclench the area where DeathXDorugoramon's claws had pieced their dented armour. They summon their lance and shield and take a defensive stands, favouring their right. The bits of armour that clings to them is cracked and dented from the force of the attacks that DeathXDorugoramon has been using.

Either Guilmon or him actually remember much about fighting and the few recent battles were much simpler then this one. They also hadn't been prepared for fighting DeathXDorugoramon, so they were depending on the body's instincts then on their personal battle experiences. He did wonder where that bit came from, but dismissed from his mind as he tries to figure out which attack they should use on the mega standing before them.

Just as they were about to rush forward something kind of hole appeared between them. In a flash of light the gate was gone and floating before them was some kind of glowing being that he gets a feeling he should know. "I won't let you interfere!" Roared the other and charges at the tiny white being that came through the portal.

With out thinking about it, they were already moving to intercept the attack. The claws piece their chest and as they cry out in pain in their dual voice, within a second they were now split apart and descending towards the ground. The white being chimes and then he's caught up in a flash of light.

He blinks as he finds himself in a room, a room that has Digimon toys. He looks down at himself and found that he's grown up a bit. He turns as the door opens and a tall woman is standing there. "Mom…" He says, he kind of faints.

)-(

He lands on the ground really hard and blinks as he looks around. "Guilmon!" He shouts as he notices that his partner is out cold. It took him a minute to realise where they were, he quickly glances to where DeathXDorugoramon is standing, currently trying to knock the Digi Gnome out of the air.

He sighs and takes out his card deck, looking for a card that will speed Guilmon's recovery. He swiped the two cards he had and watched as Guilmon glows slightly and then stirs. He grins slightly, he's whole body is sore and he is also beginning to feel light headed. "Takato!" Guilmon cries out, he's blinks as he realizes that Guilmon didn't add the mon to his name.

Within minutes his partner is towering over him, he sighs as he remembers that he's in the body of an eight year old. It also reminded him that he's current name is Takato Kamiya and that he has two adopted siblings as well, both of them were suppose to be cartoon characters. He then groaned as he remembers that he just took out Piedmon, altering what's suppose to happen in the Dark Master's arc.

He closes his eyes as he goes through his recent memories and dismisses his guilty feelings, for he can't change the past and he also didn't want Piedmon to chase Kari and TK up that trick rope, even if it does allow Angemon to Digivolve into MagnaAngemon. His brotherly concerns were once more in full gear.

"Takato?" Guilmon asks, he opens his eyes and tries to keep from falling over. "Sorry boy, just not feeling well." He admits and Guilmon hums in agreement. "But we can't just sit here and let him take out that Digi Gnome, so you up for another Bio Merge?" He asks his best friend and partner. Guilmon studies him with concerned eyes for a minute before nodding his answer.

Guilmon helps him stand up, he holds out his D-Ark and soon Gallantmon is standing where they had stood. The armour was new and shiny once more. _"Ready boy?"_ He asks from within the yellow sphere. Guilmon hums his agreement and they aim their shield at DeathXDorugoramon. "Shield of the Just!" They roar out in their dual voice, the beam of energy hits DeathXDorugoramon straight on, the Digi Gnome chimes something before vanishing into another portal, leaving them to deal with DeathXDorugoramon on better terms then before.

They charge forward, not wanting to give the mega time to recover from his injuries. Their speed, strength, and power had increased now that they have their memories back, giving them the experience they had lacked a few minutes ago. _'We'll defeat him! I won't be taken away from another family and another set of friends!'_ He thinks as the lance connects and throws DeathXDorugoramon about thirty feet away from them.

To be continued …


	6. Final Battles

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 6

The city was just too quiet for his liking as he stares out of the window. It had been four days since they had defeated the two Dark Master, MetalSeadramon and Puppetmon, for while WarGreymon used his Mega Claw attack on MetalSeadramon, leaving MetalGarurumon and the newest Mega, Phoenixmon to deal with Puppetmon.

'_Calumon really helped out on that one. I wonder whose next, now that we're facing off against the second strongest Dark Master. Maybe it'll be Angemon going ultimate?'_ He wonders to himself as turns his head to look at the young blond kid that's currently chatting away with his baby sister. He smiles sadly as he pictures his adopted brother with the other two. He truly misses Takato, he can only hope that where ever Takato is, that the young goggle wearing kid knows that they love him and hope that he comes back to them.

He sighs and shakes his head in hopes of getting rid of any thoughts that his little brother might not be able to make it back from where ever he currently is. He has to think positive thoughts as he prays to whatever gods there are that his baby brother will return to them without being too injured. He knows he can count on Guilmon to rush to Takato's aid and defend his little brother from whoever took off with them.

'_Besides, I have other things to worry about, like what to do once Machinedramon finds us.'_ He thinks to himself, pushing his thoughts of Takato out of his mind. He's well aware that they'll have to confront the metal mega sooner or later, he just didn't have any idea if this city should be the place for their battle, for it's filled with the remaining Dark Master's minions and battling them would only wear them out for when the top gun appears.

'_That's what the bad guys in every cartoon and manga I've read done, they send out their minions to do their dirty work and then arrive to take on the tired heroes. I'm not going to let that happen, so we need to figure out where the majority of Machinedramon's minions are and figure out away to trap them so they don't join the fight against their master. I guess we'll take turns scouting out the city.'_ He thinks as he once more looks out the window, at the lifeless city that seems to be part of Machinedramon's base. He begins to plan out who would be the in the first group as he goes through the pros and cons of who should head out the first time. He's just glad that they had enough food from stumbling on some kind of supply bunker.

(-Kari-)

She presses her lips together as she feels a tug in another direction. She sighs and wondered what processed her to head out with just TK, Patamon, Gatomon, and Calumon. She knows that she'd only cause the others to worry about them, but she couldn't stand not being able to help out. She just knew that Takato would support her, even though he would worry about her throughout the whole ordeal.

At the thought of her adopted brother, she turns in the direction of the pull and begins to walk towards it; she can hear TK and the Digimon follow after. They really didn't have a destination so one direction was as good as another, especially that they were underground.

She did feel slightly bad about getting Ogremon to lie about where they were though. She's kind of surprise that the virus champion was still hanging around, not that she minds him being with them, it's just that from the way he grumbles about things that Ogremon would have left by now. It didn't take long before she's thinking about another virus Digimon, as they continue towards the pull that's guiding her through the sewers. She just hopes that where ever they're headed that they wouldn't encounter anything too dangerous.

)-(

She sighs as she looks around the ruins below. She's currently in Angewomon's arms as TK is in MagnaAngemon's arms; Calumon is floating around on his own. She already misses the Numemon, she feels bad for not being strong enough to defend them from their tormentor, WaruMonzaemon.

She glances over to MagnaAngemon and sighs slightly as she notices how worn the other ultimate level Digimon is. She had fainted as she finished freeing the Numemon from their bonds, so Gatomon had been protecting her then helping Angemon and the Numemon fight off the cruel bear Digimon. She had only seen the end of it, as the stuff bear was sucked into that golden gate.

She had listened closely as Angewomon had told her as the building began to become rubble around them. She hopes that once the Digital World is healed that those Numemon and all the other Digimon will be reborn, but it meant that their duty would be over and done with, which means that they'd have to leave and never return…

She's shaken out of her thoughts as a large bang occurs and she glances off to where the noise came from. She gasps as she notices the battle that's happening off in the distance. "I hope Matt's alright." TK says in a concerned tone. She nods in agreement and soon they're heading in that direction, hoping that the older kids had everything under control once they arrived.

(-Tai-)

Before him floated a Digimon that seems to be the total opposite of Calumon, as Calumon represented joy and light, Apocalymon represents despair and chaotic darkness. As Calumon help things grow while Apocalymon tries and make things disintegrate, he also finds it funny that Apocalymon is a mega; Calumon is an in-training Digimon. So very much two different sides, cheerful versus despair, growth versus decay, and chaotic light versus chaotic darkness, he can't see Calumon as a being of order, it just didn't seem to suit the little guy.

He doesn't look away from the laughing Apocalymon, he just didn't trust the situation concerning the negative filled Digimon. He still had to wonder about the out come of this battle. An image of Takato and Guilmon flashes in his mind and he sighs, knowing that what they're currently facing might not be as bad as what his little brother is facing. He steels himself for the battle ahead; he wasn't going down without a fight. He notices a glow coming from his chest and finds his crest is glowing. He smiles slightly as he tightens his hold on WarGreymon's shoulder armour. "Let's finish this!" He shouts out and his partner charges forth with him as a passenger. The other soon follows his lead.

They dodge the golden claws that hung around the main body soon begin to attack his partner and friends. His partner diverted the claw with his metal claws, he turns his head side to side and notices that the others mostly dodged the claws, he's relieved to know that Kari's alright, though he did wonder why Calumon seems to be floating in the same spot, with his eyes closed.

He focuses back on what their enemy before them; he notices that their attacks didn't mark the golden metal body that is Apocalymon. He's glad to note that the some of the metal claws were destroyed. "Pitiful! Touch of Evil!" Apocalymon shouts and the claws open up and before his eyes limbs that reminded him of Devimon shot forth. Though he's surprise, WarGreymon dodges the attacks and uses Terra Force in close range of the metal body of Apocalymon.

Apocalymon roars in pain, clearly surprise that WarGreymon had been able to get pass the metal tentacle arms and use such a powerful attack at close range. His crest is still glowing strong as WarGreymon continues attacking Apocalymon, the others were using their range attacks. He frowns as he again notices that Calumon was just standing in one spot.

"What's he waiting for?" He wonders out loud as he studies the white Digimon. "Maybe he's talking with Takato?" WarGreymon suggests before grunting as the mega dodges a metal claw. He sighs and shrugs as he once more tightens his grip on WarGreymon's shoulder. His knuckles were white, he might be scared, but he wasn't going to let fear consume him. He wasn't doing this for himself, but for the world he's come to consider a second home, even if most of the time had been spent wandering around trying to figure out where they were and where their next meal is.

'_I wish you luck, Takato. I think you need it as much as we do.'_ He thinks before dismissing his adopted brother from his thoughts. He has a villain to defeat and a world to save.

(-Takato-)

"Lightning Joust!" They roar once more, impaling the very injured DeathXDorugoramon with their lance. The mega roars in pain and soon breaks down into data partials. The bits and pieces of DeathXDorugoramon's armour littered the battle field, along with bits and pieces of their own armour. Their shield has chunks ripped out of it, black scorched marks, claw groves, and some feathers were decorating the shield he holds.

Their shared body kneels on the ground, the lance and shield disappeared as their arms help support himself as they stare down at the floor. _"We did it, Takato! He's gone!"_ Guilmon says in a worn out voice. He smiles and nods from within his sphere; they didn't want to unmerge just yet, for he figured that they had a better chance of leaving this realm as Gallantmon, not in their regular forms.

He can't believe that DeathXDorugoramon could take so much damage before his internal healing ability began to fail. Truthfully, he's stunned that Guilmon and him lasted as long as they did, considering he is still injured from their first round with the mega, let alone was able to deal out so much damage. _'We didn't even mode change, but man that was draining.'_ He thinks to himself.

"_Takato, something's happening."_ Guilmon says, he blinks as he notices that they were now looking to the left and he gasps as the bit of DeathXDorugoramon that was left behind began to swirl around about fifty feet from where they were. They soon stand up right, their lance and shield appearing out of nowhere as they watch as a sphere of light begins to form in the middle of the whirling mass.

"_This can't be good."_ He mutters to himself within his sphere. Guilmon hums his agreement. _"That's scary."_ A familiar voice says. _"Calumon?"_ Guilmon asks. _"Yip! Kari and Tai are really worried about you guys and they're fighting this really depressing mon."_ Then Calumon adds sadly, _"They're having trouble and I'm not sure if I can help them."_ He blinks and sighs, the glowing sphere of blackish purple begins to grow larger as they talk within Gallantmon.

"_Just try your best, Calumon! I'm sure things will get better."_ Guilmon says encouragingly. He nods in agreement as he says, _"You went into the D-Reaper on your own, you helped the Digimon all around the Digital World to become mega, and you stuck by Jeri's side through the whole incident. You just need to believe in yourself, Calumon. They need you, as we needed you. I know you can help, only if you have the courage."_ He can feel Calumon cheer up by the time he finishes that speech. _"Your right, Takato! I won't let that big meanie scare me any more!"_ Calumon says and then suddenly the injuries that they sustained healed.

Calumon's presence disappeared, but within a second they were facing off against the reformatted mega that once had been DeathXDorugoramon and he felt a chill dance up and down his spine as the thing roars. He notices the huge long arms and he notices that they could almost see through the Digimon, the parts that they couldn't was the armour. Some things were similar, like the red wings on the back of the monster as well as the colour scheme, but there were differences, like the how the flesh seems to be transparent as well as how the mega has a different skeletal structure then DeathXDorugoramon.

"_Out of the frying pan and into the fire."_ He says as they take up a defensive stance. _"I don't see a frying pan or a fire, Takato."_ Guilmon says in puzzlement. He smiles and replies, _"It's a figure of speech."_ Guilmon sighs and says wistfully, _"I wish we could have eaten before we fight him."_ He chuckles as they leap backwards, away from the large clawed hand that had been coming towards them. He sighs and wonders if he just got his second wind or if it was something left behind by Calumon healing them, he just feels light headed, though he does remind himself to stay focused. He didn't want to be the cause of their defeat…

(-Tai-)

As their partners float before them, their crests and tags destroyed, a light blinded him for a few seconds and then as he blinks as he regains his sigh, he finds that Agumon had once more become WarGreymon. "But how?!" Apocalymon roars as the mega realises that their partners were once more ready for battle.

He turns and finds Calumon staring pass them and over at Apocalymon. "I won't let you harm win!" Calumon declares and then he exchange looks with Matt and the others; they were just as surprise as he was about what's happening. "Why you…" Apocalymon growls, not finishing that sentence as the mega glares at the cute green eyed Digimon that is called Calumon.

He's not that surprise when Calumon began to look uncomfortable under the glare that the dark and insane mega is sending in Calumon's direction. The little guy began to shift uncomfortably under that glare, he growls and shouts, "Leave Calumon alone, you jerk!" He blinks as something begins glow, he then notices that the symbol for Courage was glowing on his chest.

"But how?" He asks, startled at the sudden appearance. "I really wish I had the time to study this as well." Izzy muses and within a second of saying that did the symbol for the crest of Knowledge appear on Izzy's own chest. "Stop tapping into your virtues!" Apocalymon roars and sends a metal claw their way, MegaKabuterimon uses Electro Shocker to destroy the claw.

"Tapping into our virtues? I think I get it! The crests and tags, like the Digivices, are tools to help bring out our potential! Is that the reason why we were chosen?" Izzy says, though the last part wasn't as loud as the first bit. "So I just have to bring out what I felt everytime my tag and crest glowed?" Matt says and then smirks, the crest of Friendship appears on his chest as he adds, "I have friends and I plan on fighting to keep them!"

He smiles as one by one, the other Digidestine's crests appear on their chests. Apocalymon roars in mindless rage and soon their partners were once more attacking the mega that had some how, help create the Dark Masters. In time, the other's began to distract Apocalymon, allowing MetalGarurumon, Phoenixmon, and WarGreymon to use their strongest attacks and combine them together.

They all cheer as the combo drills its way through the gold metal body, exiting out the other side. He blinks as Calumon speeds pass them, he lets out a startled sound as Calumon begins to glow and soon the light covers them and their partners as they hear Apocalymon's voice say something that he couldn't make out. He just fell into the blackness within his mind.

(-Takato-)

They scream as the hold on their neck tightens. He lost count of how many times they had wounded the beast before them; he wondered just what happened to all of their attacks. Their arms were already losing their hold on the hand that's chocking the life out of them. They refused to unmerge, he didn't want to be separated from Guilmon, even in the face of death, which seems to be fast approaching.

Then a defining voice comes out of nowhere and says, "DeathXmon! I want the boy unharmed! And if you can, bring the rookie along, I could use a Megidramon." The grip loosens, but he's chilled to the bone at the mention of Guilmon's other mega form. Pictures of Megidramon's short battle with Beelzemon plays within his mind. _'I won't let that happen! I won't let my best friend become **that** MONSTER again!'_ He thinks to himself.

"_I won't let that happen! Not to Guilmon, not again!"_ He shouts from within his sphere. A familiar energy builds and then explodes from within his sphere and surges outwards. The energy forces DeathXmon's grip around their neck to break as well as step a bit away from them. "Gallantmon: Crimson Mode!" They shout out in their dual voice.

They hovered, their glowing white wings allowing them to move about unhindered by gravity. They grip the sword and spear with his hands; he already knew what he looked like. Red armour dominates where white once had, bright yellow trim marking the ruby coloured armour. Five pairs of white wings coming out of their back, they now look to be some kind of angel in red armour.

"_You think we'll stand a chance like this?"_ Guilmon asks. He grins slightly as he answers his partner's question, _"I believe we can, we took him out when he had been DeathXDorugoramon, we can take him out now that he's DeathXmon."_ Guilmon chirps his agreement as they begin to focus in on the Digimon before them.

They dodge the incoming attack from what appears to be a pissed DeathXmon. In a single motion they also charged forward towards the undead type. They thrust the sword in their right hand into the chest plate; DeathXmon roars out in pain, they are sent flying through the air from the attack. They try and control their descent; they then hover in the spot for about ten seconds before shouting out, "Royal Sabre!"

The attack connects with DeathXmon's clawed fist. Pain shoots through their arm, they cry out in pain as their enemy roars out in pain as well. They stand where they were, watching as DeathXmon's screams of pain increase in volume. _"It couldn't have harmed him that much, … could it?"_ He says from his sphere within Gallantmon. _"You think we can eat once he's gone?"_ Guilmon asks. He can't help but laugh. _"We'll see, boy, we'll see."_ He says lightly, then thoughts about what happens after the Digidestine enter into his mind, causing him to frown.

Before their eyes DeathXmon hunches over, the arm their attack connected has yet to regenerate. "Why, my lord, why?" The injured mega asks in an inhuman, harsh, and pleading tone. Then slowly, the arm begins to reassemble, but the energy wasn't born from DeathXmon, but from somewhere else.

They take a stance, the arm welding the spear ready to be used. DeathXmon finished thanking his master and then once the undead mega finished, the massive mega stands and faces them with narrow eyes. The beast standing before them begins to growl at them, voicing just how angry the undead type is. The long arms moved backward, they tense ready to leap away.

"Process F." The mega snarls out in his inhuman voice. They screamed out in pain as the attack hits them. They go flying through the air; they're back grinding into the ground as they descend. When they stop, they roll over as quickly as they can as an arm comes towards them. "Royal Sabre!" They cried out, they cut through the arm without any trouble, DeathXmon screams in pain. They charge forward, aiming for DeathXmon's chest plate. "Royal Sabre!" They shout and they connect with the other arm. They use the butt of the spear to force the hand to let them go.

"Process F!" "Crimson Light!" They shout, they throw their spear into the incoming attack, the spear takes some time, but after a minute it cuts its way through the other attack, it slices through the lower armour, it almost cut DeathXmon in half. The screams of pain were deafening, the undead Digimon's uninjured hand clenching the injury.

He bites his lower lip, they come to a silent agreement that they can't give DeathXmon too much time; they were in pain from being on the blunt of that first attack. "Final Justice!" They say in their dual voice. DeathXmon didn't even seem to notice as the attack comes charging towards him. The attack hits and at first it seemed like something was fighting it, trying to protect DeathXmon, but in the end it was overwhelmed. As the attack tears into DeathXmon, the world in which their battle had been taking place in begins to fade, they black out once they split apart he could practically feel someone's eyes on him as he blacks out.

)-(

"Takato! Are you ok?" He wakes as to find Sora over him, looking concerned. "Sora?" He says softly, blinking rapidly as sunlight assaults his eyes. "Where's Guilmon!" He shouts as he sits up and looks around for his best friend. "He's over by the river, with Kari, TK, and the other Digimon." Sora says soothingly. He relaxes, as Tai comes forward, hugging him tightly.

He blushes slightly, embarrassed about being hugged by his adopted brother and his favourite leader from the cartoon show that he remembers watching when he was younger. "Tai!" He cries out, Tai lets him go, looking amused that he was blushing from embarrassment. "And the valiant knight returns. I guess things worked out?" Tai says in a joking tone, clearly happy to have him back. He winches slightly in pain as his injuries make themselves known. Tai calls for Joe and soon the older Digidestine is checking him over.

He has a few bruises which causes Tai to vow to get the guy that did this to his little bro. He sighs as the others start coming over to see what's up, he squirms under their concerned looks, not really use to all this attention. "So? What happened?" Mimi finally asks as their partners as well as Kari and TK return from the river.

He sighs and glances at Guilmon, then at Calumon. He sighs and begins at the beginning, he didn't leave anything out though, he just hopes he has time to organise his thoughts before telling them about his life before being adopted. By the time he's done the Digidestine's reactions range from awe to thoughtfulness. Tai's currently frowning, most likely concerned about GranDracmon and what his plans might be for him. He glances at Kari and smiles at his adopted sister, Kari was worried about him. Kari smiles slightly, before squeezing his right hand.

He glances around at the Digimon, suddenly his heart sunk as he realises what's going to happen. _'I can't leave Guilmon here, Calumon definitely can't remain here either! Who knows what Ken will do if he gets his hands on Calumon!'_ He thinks, he shivers slightly at the thought of some other monstrous Digimon that Ken might create by using Calumon.

(-Tai-)

He watches as their partners disappear, only Calumon and Guilmon were coming with them, surprisingly Gennai hadn't tried to talk Takato out of it either. They kind of chalked it up to the two not being native to this dimension. _'Which kind of means they might cause a lot of trouble. I also doubt that either Guilmon or Takato would be too happy to be separated for too long. Though I do wonder how our parents will take to having two Digimon living with us.'_ He thinks to himself as they begin to emerge from the dimensional gate. He grins as he notices his parents and waves.

He glances over at Takato and finds Gigimon in the young goggle wearing's arms. Calumon is currently in Kari's arms, making him wonder just how his parents will react to the pair. He sighs and figures he might as well stop worrying, he frowns as the name GranDracmon drifts into his mind. He wonders just how long their peace will last until that Digimon begins to set his plans into motion. He stares at Takato, hoping that they'd be able to fend this mega off, he didn't want to lose Takato again so soon…

(-Takato-)

He sighs as he watches the missile land in the water, not too happy with himself at the moment. He knew that this was going to happen, once he knew that Kari was going to that birthday party. He had headed out of the apartment, claiming that Gigimon felt the need to Digivolve, which kind of allowed them the day to go where ever they want to go, so long as nobody spotted Guilmon.

While it's been a few months since Gigimon and him faced off against DeathXmon, he still has nightmares about what happened. He sighs as he turns around, he shakes his head which cause water to fly around in the air while his cloths drip as he walks away. He carries Gigimon in his arms, the red Digimon was also soak. He doesn't know where Calumon is, but he could only guess that Sora had a visitor, for Calumon has taken to hanging around the flower shop, enjoying the smell of the many colourful flowers that they sell.

He wonders if he shouldn't drop by that birthday party that Kari's currently attending. He's happy that Kari's making friends with girls her own age, he wonders what he'll do when Kari ends up with a close friend of the same gender. He snorts as he realises the path his thoughts have taken. _'It just means that Kari won't depend on me for companionship. I mean, siblings are bounded to drift, right?'_ He thinks to himself, causing his heart to ache at the idea of not being close to Kari.

He runs a hand through his wet hair, he pauses and glances around. He looks up and blinks, he grins sheepishly as he realises he was about to walk into a busy line of traffic. He checks his D-Ark for the time and then stares at the walk light for it to turn green. He suddenly wonders how Matt and Tai get into the real world from the internet. "They never showed that, did they?" He says to himself, before noticing that the cross walk has turned green.

(-Kari-)

She glances over at the clock on the wall; she then closes her text books and clears the top of the desk, so that Takato can use it to work on his homework. She glances over at the sleeping Digimon on the bunk bed. She grins before putting her homework into her book bag. She then walks out of the room, glancing at the calendar to the right of the door.

She smiles as she finds her brother busy with a scrap book and pencil. At twelve, her adopted brother now wears his goggles on his head, in the same fashion that Tai does, only that Takato lacks the blue head band that rests under Tai's goggles. She watches as Takato's eyes flicker at the TV screen ever so often. She walks behind the couch where Takato's currently sitting on and looks down at what Takato's drawing.

She giggles as she notices the different posses that the TV character was in on the page. While they were quickly drawn, they did look great. Ever since they got back from the Digital World and Takato got his memories back, Takato's taken up drawing, much to Tai's dismay. For it's clear that Tai had hoped that Takato would take interest in soccer, but while Takato didn't mind playing it, her adopted brother just preferred to sit around and draw what catches his interest.

Takato had admitted once that he had drawn a picture of Guilmon before Guilmon ever came into his life, she wondered if Takato was hinting that he might have indirectly created Guilmon, not that she or any of the others have asked Takato about his life before coming in this dimension. They had questioned Gigimon, but other then getting a good idea about the characteristics of the Digimon partnered to Takato's group, they also found out just what kind of relationship Takato and Rika had.

'_I wonder if half of what Guilmon said is true. If so, then I wonder how I'll get along with someone who considered Digimon nothing but data? I wonder if Takato wouldn't be up to correcting anything Guilmon had told us? Maybe it's time to confront Takato about what his group did and how they defeated this D-Reaper that he had nightmares of?'_ She snaps out of her thoughts as Takato turns the page. She sighs, which causes Takato to look behind him. "Kari? You ok?" The preteen that is her adopted brother asks. "Fine, just thinking is all." She says, turning to head into the kitchen. "What were you thinking about, TK? Or maybe about Davis?" Takato asks, clearly fishing for information.

She sighs, kind of glad that she had turned away, pictures of the two boys flashing in her mind. She blushes slightly before answering her brother, "Just about your past is all. Besides, I doubt that TK and Davis will ever meet, so you can stop fishing for who I like better." Takato chuckles, she turns and glares at the young goggle head. "Sorry, sis, I'm just picturing what that meeting would be like." Takato says once he notices the glare she's sending his way.

She watches as Takato closes his scrap book and puts the pencil behind his ear. She frowns, wondering just what Takato was implying. She just shakes her head, doubting that Takato will share what he was really thinking about. "In other news, the genius Ken Ichijouji has once more turned down offers from professional soccer teams. 'I just want to try and live a normal life.'" She sighs as she turns off the TV.

"You'd think that people would tire about hearing about the famous Ken Ichijouji." She muses out loud as she then heads into the kitchen to make dinner for Takato and herself. They were going to be the only ones around the apartment until nine, their parents were at a business function and Tai's hanging out with Matt and Sora. She turns on the stereo to her favourite station before preheating the oven and taking out some frozen chicken. She hums as she cuts the plastic away from the freeze dried chicken. She bounces to the beat as she hums, not caring if anyone see her as she continues to make dinner.

To be continued …


	7. Relations Renewed

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 7

He glances down at his D-Terminal, he checks for any new messages. He sighs, guessing that either TK or Matt gave any hints about TK moving into the area. He glances over to where Gigimon is hiding. Class's about to start and his partner, Davis, is currently busy chatting with his soccer buddy from the pair in front of them.

"Hey Takato, guess what? Someone mistook me for your brother!" Davis says, causing him to snap his head in Davis's direction. "Let me guess, white fishing hat with a teal shirt with yellow sleeves?" He asks. "How do you know what he looked like? You were in the library!" Davis asks. He smiles slightly, glad when the bell rings. Davis gives him the look that says he's not going to let this end here, he snorts mentally, knowing that Davis will be too busy after school to continue this conversation.

The teach gets their attention, he tones the man out, staring at the door, almost willing it to open and for TK to step into the room. Soon enough, TK enters the room and he glances over at Kari, trying to gage her reaction. Kari glances at him, giving him a look that clearly reads 'And you expect me to do what?' He shakes his head slightly, turning to watch Davis's reaction to TK being so close to Kari.

"Who is that guy?" Davis says softly. "An old friend of ours, he's Matt's younger brother." He answers, startling Davis, which means that Davis hadn't meant to say his thoughts out loud. Soon he begins to take notes as the teacher begins the class. He grins slightly, wondering if he should take Davis aside and advice the other goggle head about Kari and his relationship with TK. _'I bet he wouldn't listen. Besides, I want to see just how much information I can get about how TK feels about Kari, before Kari warns him about my meddling in her love life.'_ He thinks to himself as he writes down the example from the black board.

(-TK-)

He looks around for either Kari or Takato, for he kind of hopes to have lunch with them. He spots Takato waving at him, he nods and walks towards the adopted Kamiya. "Good to see ya man. How's the unpacking going?" Takato asks once he joins up with Takato. "Fine, how are things going around here?" He asks, they were walking out of the school with one of his best friends. "Good, though I should warn you that Davis is jealous of you already." The yellow goggle wearing preteen says.

"Who's Davis?" He asks. "The other kid with goggles, he hero worships Tai too." Takato answer, they stop under a tree. Sitting down under it, they dig around for their lunches. He jerks slightly as Gigimon leaps down from the tree. "Food!" The little Digimon cries out as he lands on Takato's shoulder. "Yes, Gigimon, it's lunch time." Takato says with a bit of a smile on his face. He coughs to get the little guy's attention. "TK!" Gigimon cries and jumps towards him. "Hey, little guy. Hungry, huh?" He says, grinning as Gigimon nods, giving him puppy eyes.

Takato chuckles and takes out a bag with some small buns in it. "Gigimon Bread!" The little Digimon leaps from him to his partner. He grins; he hasn't seen them since summer. "Where's Calumon?" He asks as he opens up the bag containing his sandwich. "He's been hanging around Sora's flower shop, but he does enjoy touring the homes of the others. I'm still wondering how he gets to New York to visit Mimi." Takato says, shaking his head at the last part. "Really? He visits Mimi?" He asks, before taking a bit out of his sandwich.

Takato nods as he swallows what's in his mouth. "It's true! Mimi's been going on non stop about what outfits she's dressed Calumon up in, she even has pictures. She's been saving them for when the gate opens up again." Takato says. He shakes his head, muttering "He never visited me." Takato cocks his head and answers, "He showed up for your games. He just didn't want to bother you when you're out partying with your team-mates." He blinks in surprise; he shifts his weight around for he's kind of embarrassed about. "Really?" He asks. "Really, he's been trying to get Gigimon to shot hops when he's Guilmon. Of course he added rules and altered the rules."

"Do I really want to know what rules he's been playing under?" He asks. "Not really." Takato answers. They ate in silence, Gigimon finishing the little buns filled with Peanut Butter. "So, what's Kari been up to?" He asks as he finishes his drink. "She's been beating Davis off with a stick." Takato says in a humorous tone. He raises an eye brow, feeling kind of relieved to hear that. "Davis thinks she's 'his' and you know Kari, too kind hearted to sit him down and tell him to stop." Takato says, petting a sleeping Gigimon.

"And Tai hasn't set Davis straight?" He asks. "Tai likes Davis and wants me to deal with it." The yellow goggle wearing preteen replies and then he asks, "Then why haven't you done it?" "Kari." Takato says, as if that explains everything. He sighs before he begins to pick up his garbage. "So, does Kari like Davis then? I mean, you know, just as a friend?" He asks, blushing slightly. "Don't know, she's been secretive about who she likes. Though I have to say, I think you'd make the better boyfriend." Takato says. He pales and holds up his hands, "Who says I like Kari that way!" Takato just smiles knowingly which causes him to groan.

Just as he's about to deny it some more, Kari appears and gives Takato a deadpan look. "You had better not be trying to meddle with TK's love life, Takato." Kari says, he looks startled and glances at the adopted brother. "Oh? You really think I would do that to one of mine best friends, sis? You wound me!" Takato says, placing a hand over his heart. He chuckles which causes Kari to smile slightly. "Its fine, Kari. All we were talking about Calumon traveling to New York and to my basketball games." He says, for he didn't want Kari to get Takato to say anything about his reaction to him being her boyfriend.

Kari studied him for a moment before sighing and motioning for him to come with her. He nods at Takato, making a note that Takato will most likely be trying to gage his feeling for Kari in the future. Soon he's walking at Kari's side and once they're far enough away from Takato, Kari begins to rant and rave about how annoying Takato has become since December. He nods, trying his hardest not to laugh at how cute Kari looks when she's angry.

Kari calms down by the time they're about to walk into the school, as they walk through the doors, the kid he saw playing soccer is coming towards them. _'This must be Davis.'_ He thinks and begins to study the goggle head standing before him, this time in greater interest then when he handed the ball back to the kid. He also notes how the kid scowls at him, clearly not liking the fact that he's with Kari.

"We haven't really met; I'm Davis, Davis Motomiya." Davis says flatly. "TK Takashi." He says in a friendly tone, trying not to be as rude as Davis. Davis snorts and asks, "What kind of name is TJ?" He blinks and corrects the goggle head. "It's TK." "Like I said, TB." Davis says, before asking if Kari's free after school. He sighs, guessing that Davis is determined to keep calling him by an incorrect name. He remembers what Takato had said and is kind of glad that Takato had warned him about Davis.

Soon they're walking to their classroom, Davis having a one sided conversation with Kari. He's glad that Davis was ignoring him, it allows him to think up ways to avoid the other boy. He wonders what Takato was doing after school; he wouldn't mind talking Takato into shooting some hops with him. _'Maybe Kari could join us later.'_ He thinks to himself as he sits down at his desk, hoping that she would.

(-Kari-)

"Excuse me, are you Kari Kamiya?" She looks over at the tall girl with glasses. "I am." She says, the other girl hands her a sheet of paper. "What's this?" TK asks, she can see him look over her should to read what's on the sheet. "Tai needs our help." She says and then glances around for Takato, not seeing her other brother, she asks, "Where'd Takato go?" "Takato just jogged pass me, what's wrong?" Davis asks.

She frowns, hoping that Takato had gone in search for Gigimon. "My older brother needs our help." She answers. She moves and digs around in her pack; she takes out her Digivice and notices that TK already has his in his hand. "I can come too!" Davis says. "Thanks for the sheet, Yolei." TK says. "Oh, it's no problem, though what's this Digital World your brother was talking about?" The girl now named Yolei asks.

She sighs and finishes grabbing her stuff; she heads off to the computer room for she feels that her stomach is full of butterflies as she walks quickly through the halls. Sure they all know that they were bound to met up with their partners again, it's a given that who ever GranDracmon is, he's still after Takato even if it's been quite for about three years. She can hear the others behind her; she just hopes that Takato will arrive in time to come with them.

"Izzy!" She says, relieved to see the old Digidestine. The old Digidestine nods in her direction. "You're Izzy Izumi!" Yolei says loudly as they enter into the computer lab. She glances around, looking to see if Gigimon found his way into the computer lab, but found nothing, so she settled for e-mailing Takato to see if he's founded Gigimon yet, once that done, she realised that she missed something since Davis seems to be holding a Digivice, it didn't look like her's or Takato's, which means it's a new model.

She sighs and pockets her D-Terminal as she takes out her Digivice. TK, Davis, and they're pulled into the computer screen. She found herself in a dog pile. It takes time, but they soon sort out where their limbs are. They then stand up; she tones out Davis's questions as she glances around. Right now, she wished that they had waited for Takato and Guilmon; she would feel much comfortable with the tall rookie around.

"Don't worry, Kari. I'll be your sergeant brother." TK says, she smiles and nods in acknowledgement of the blond's offer. "Like old times, huh?" She says, feeling much more relaxed then she had been. "Almost like old times, Kari." TK says with a distant look in his eyes. She can tell that Davis didn't like this one bit, the fact that TK and her were talking on a totally over the goggle wearing soccer loving preteen's head.

"If she's going to depend on anyone, it's me JK." Davis growls. "Actually, I think as her partner, she should depend on me." Gatomon's voice says as Patamon and Gatomon appear. She grins at the white cat Digimon, she sighs, remembering a time when her partner had been about the same size as her. "It's good to see you too, Gatomon." She says, causing Gatomon to stop glaring at Davis and smile at her. "Where's Takato and Guilmon?" Patamon asks from his perch on TK's fishing hat.

"What's a Guilmon? For that matter, what are you guys!" Davis shouts. "They're Digimon, short for Digital Monsters. Patamon is TK's partner and Gatomon is mine. You'll most likely met Takato's later." She says to Davis, understanding that Davis feels out of his depth here. She glances around, still getting eerie feelings from the surrounding forest.

Then something clicked and she asks, "Where's your tail ring?" Gatomon's demeanour droops as her partner's tail curl up by her feet. "I lost it running away from a dark ring and from a controlled Unimon." Gatomon says. "Dark ring? What's going on here?" She asks, alarmed about this dark ring. "It all started when this human calling himself the Digimon Emperor appeared. He started setting up these black spires and then these dark rings snare any Digimon that they come across. Once you get one on you, you become his slave." Gatomon says, her heart aching at the very idea at innocent Digimon being forced to follow the whims of this Emperor guy.

"Ok, so where's Tai?" Davis asks, she shares a questioning look with TK before they both look down at their Digivices. "He's this way." She says, soon leading the group towards Tai's signal. She sighs and wonders if Takato even checked his D-Terminal, she really wouldn't mind having her brother the Tamer around. _'Especially considering he can turn the tide of a battle with a single swipe of a card through his D-Ark.'_ She thinks to herself as they walk in search of her older brother.

(-Takato-)

He sighs as he continues to walk through the crowds; he knows where he's going. He wanted to make contact with Ken before the boy genius totally turns his back on the real world. Gigimon snores coming out of his book bag, he checks the time and nods slightly as he enters into the park where Ken's team practices.

He nods in satisfaction as he notices that Ken's down on the practice field. He finds a comfortable spot and takes off his book bag before sitting under the tree. He opens up the zipper and takes out his pad of paper and pencil. He watches the team on the field, opening to a blank page and after about two minutes of watching them, he begins to draw Ken Ichijouji, or the infamous Digimon Emperor.

He notices the few glances Ken sends in his direction; he notices the slight frown that graces the other boy's face a few times. He congratulated himself for irritating the so called boy genius. He doesn't doubt Ken's intelligent, just that without the Dark Spore, Ken's not as brilliant as they portrayed him to be on TV.

He sighs as he thinks back to Kari asking him to join them in their fight against the Digimon Emperor. He had told Kari bluntly that he thought that she could use this to prove her independences. To say that Kari was unhappy was an understatement, she's down right gloomy for the last week. She had perked up when Gatomon explained what he meant in different words. He's relieved that Gatomon understood that he wanted Kari to learn to trust her judgement in such solutions. Plus, he trusted TK to be there for moral support, when Kari needs it.

Without knowing how the time has passed, he's startled to find Ken walking towards him. He glances down at the page, he nods in satisfaction at the picture he drew of Ken. He signs his name at the right bottom corner of the page; he gets up and closes the book once he marks the page. He grabs his book bag and as he's about to leave, Ken says in his soft sounding voice, "I wouldn't mind seeing that picture, since I am the one you were sketching." He cocks his head to the side, a bit of a grin on his face. "It's just a simple pencil sketch, nothing more." He replies, the look in Ken's eyes sent a slight shiver down his back.

"I thought artists enjoy showing off their work." Ken says with a forced smile on his face. "True, but I was hoping to use it to make a better drawing, I might even colour it." He replies, once more Ken's eyes sent chills down his back. "Perhaps I didn't make myself understood, I want to look at that drawing and I do mean to see it before you leave." Ken says in a chilling tone. He chuckles, he just couldn't help it. "You sound so much like Rika…" He says between his laughter. Ken's eyes narrow, but he can also tell that Ken's uncomfortable.

"The picture." Ken growls. He has a huge grin on his face as he opens the book up and shows just what he drew. He then closes it and tucks it under his arm. "Well, it's been real, Ken. I'll see you when I see you." He says as he shoulders his book bag, leaving a speechless Ken behind him. He's very satisfied that he was able to stump the Digimon Emperor.

He wonders just what Ken's reaction will be like when they face off in the Digital World. He sighs silently as an image of a certain red head flashes in his mind's eye. "Rika…" He says softly, truly wishing to be on the receiving of her glares or triumphed looks after she kicks his ass in a card game.

(-Tai-)

He studies the picture that Takato's working on. It's a picture of Ken Ichijouji lying in a field with a sparrow perched on the hand covering the boy's stomach. In the picture Ken looked so… so vulnerable and innocent, like a child. It had taken him a bit before he realised who the kid had been and he just sighs, he had to admit that Takato is really talented, though it probably helps that he has a few years of experience behind him, more then he should.

"Why didn't you portray him leading armies? He seems more suited to that." He says, once Takato puts down a coloured pencil. Takato snaps his head to where he is stand with a startled look on his adopted brother's face. "Huh?" Takato says, puzzled. He grins slightly and repeats his inquiry, "Why not make him a general leading an army? I mean, he's practically the team captain." Takato shakes his head as he says, "That's not what I was trying to capture, Tai. I think you'll understand eventually."

He raises an eye brow at his brother, not sure if he should press for more information or leave it be. "Look, it's hard to explain, it has to do with what happened before I became a Tamer. But I don't want to shake things too much, I mean, the fights going on now are kind of your fights. I feel like I'm intruding and I just don't want to mess things up. It wouldn't feel right if I fight all of your battles for you, you understand, right?" Takato looks at him with pleading eyes and he nods, he understands where Takato is coming from.

"You'll help out if things get out of our control, right?" He asks and Takato nods eagerly, relieved that he understood. He ruffles Takato's hair and says, "Matt's got a concert coming up, want to go?" "Just me and you?" Takato asks. He chuckles and nods as he says, "I think Matt's going to get TK to come, making it a brother bonding event afterwards." He watches as a bunch of expression play on Takato's face, especially his eyes. "I'd like that, I'd like that a lot, Tai." Takato says softly. He nods for he's surprise by the reaction he got out of the younger boy.

He returns to checking on the food he's cooking, it's his turn tonight and Kari's turn to do the dishes. He looks thoughtful as he stirs the curry some more, trying to piece together Takato's reaction to him wanting to have some quality time with him. It dawns on him as he realises that in about two years time, Takato would most likely be heading back to his home dimension, to his real parents.

After a few minutes Takato comes out of the room and is about to head into the bathroom when he asks, "You're an only child, I mean, where you really come from?" Takato is caught off guard and the preteen nods. "I have a cousin around my age, but he lives on an island. I don't see him that much." Takato admits. He sighs and runs a hand through the top of his hair, still feeling naked without his goggles. "Well, you know, if you could, you can always come visit us when you feel like it." He's uncomfortable but Takato nods. "I'll have to talk with Gennai and maybe Izzy about it. I can't promise anything." Takato says and then disappears into the bathroom.

As the door closes, Kari walks into the apartment. He watches as his little sister just places herself on the couch with Gatomon fighting her way out of the back pack that Kari is still wearing. "Busy day?" He asks lightly. "I'll never look at a vegetable the same way." Kari says. "What happened?" He asks, lowering the heat for the rice. "Oh nothing much, except Gabumon SOS and we showed up with Matt in tow. We freed some Gazimon, we came face to face with some plant type Digimon and Veemon got beaten up by this RedVeggiemon. We learnt that the Control Spires are at the heart of why our partners can't Digivolve naturally and that by destroying them all the enslaved Digimon are freed from the Digimon Emperor's control." Kari informs him.

He sighs, shaking his head. "I just wish I knew who he really is, you know? Then we could take him aside and talk sense into the guy." Kari says wishfully. He nods and soon Takato exits the bathroom, "Hey Kari." Kari just waves a hand in Takato's direction, clearly not wanting to get up off the couch. "Who was on top this time?" Takato asks before entering into the room he shares with Kari. "Matt, though Cody's elbow was in my lower back for a while there." Kari says. Takato sighs and shakes his head as he says, "I think you should send complains to Gennai about that, I'm sure he can fix it." Kari grunts and he begins to turn things off and get them onto the table.

He glances at the fourth setting and just knows that there isn't going to be any leftovers, not that he's going to complain. Gigimon's a regular trash dispenser, unlike Gatomon who's picky about what she wants to eat. He puts some fish sticks onto a tray and puts them into the oven, remembering the last time Gigimon ate at the same time as Gatomon. He can't believe that it took both Kari and him to hold Gatomon down while Takato escaped with Gigimon. He still had to wonder where Gatomon learnt to curse like that. He also learnt that he never wanted to make Gatomon that angry ever.

(-TK-)

Gigimon continues to giggle even though he stopped tickling the little red Digimon. "Promise not to eat my lunch unless you ask me?" He asks. Gigimon nods rapidly, rolling back onto his stomach and he just sighs. "Are you sure it was Gigimon?" Takato asks from the door. "He's the only one who knows how to get around without people seeing him." He says defensively. "I'll give you that." The yellow goggle wearing preteen admits.

"Mind sharing?" He asks, giving Takato a pleading look he usually uses on Matt. Takato rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest with his back leaning on the wall. "Why don't we sneak out and eat at a restaurant? We can leave my lunch for Patamon." Takato says. He thinks about it, he really didn't want to get caught, but he wouldn't mind something freshly made for lunch.

His stomach growls at that very thought of a meal. "Ok, but if we're caught, I'm blaming you." He says and Takato just grins and nods. The bell rings, class will be starting in a few minutes. He looks down at the in-training Digimon and then gets up. Takato closes the door once he's out of the room.

Tonight Matt had a concert and afterwards Tai, Takato, Matt, and himself were just going to hang out, do some brother bonding. As he sits down, he wonders just where they'll be going after the concert. _'Maybe we'll end up at that pizza place Matt took me that one time. They had really good pizza.'_ He thinks as he watches people walk into the classroom.

(-Takato-)

They tried not to look worried as they entered into the restaurant. Gigimon had been sleeping when they checked up on him. Patamon had been ecstatic about having a whole lunch to himself; Patamon had a dreamly look on his face when they left. He wonders just what Patamon has planned to do with all that food he had packed, he had packed extra in case Gigimon had wanted more then the little peanut butter filled buns that looked like Gigimon.

He looks at TK from the corner of his eye; he kind of has to admit that he definitely influenced the tall blond. As he remembered it, TK usually hanged out with Davis or Kari, now TK mostly hangs out with him. He had to admit that the usual reason why Davis would hang out with him was in hopes of getting close to Kari.

He also admits that he really didn't have much in common with Davis, the novelty of growing up with Davis has long since worn away and he has to admit that Davis does need to grow up a bit. He concluded that Davis gained life lessons through the adventures that are happening; he just hopes that TK can tolerate Davis's insults.

They walk through the doors and study the menu over the teller's head. He decides to try the chicken burger with a baked potato. "Ready to order?" He asks and TK nods. They walk up to the counter, he lets TK go first. Soon they finish paying and take a seat at one of the tables. "So, is Davis always this…" TK doesn't finish his sentence. "Annoying?" He supplied. TK nods his head weakly. "Usually when he's talking about soccer or about Kari, he just feels threatened by your relationship with Kari. I personally think that being a Digidestine is the best thing to happen to him. He needs the life lessons that come from saving the world." He tells his friend.

The hat wearing preteen looks surprise to hear that. "Really?" The blond asks. He nods and TK looks thoughtful. Their food arrives and they unwrap their respective food items. He looks around slowly, noticing how busy it was.

"So, what do you think about the concert tonight?" The blond hat wearing preteen asks. "I think it's going to be great, I mean, it's not like I spend a lot of time with Tai on my own." He admits to his friend. TK nods in agreement. "Same here, I haven't spent too much time with Matt. I was kind of happy to be moving back here, I figured Matt and me could spend more time together." TK tells him. He nods in understandingly, beginning to pick at his potato once he finished adding sour cream on top of the bake potato.

"You guys heading of into the Digital World after school?" He asks and then TK nods. "We're going to have a bit of a contest today to see how many Control Spires we can destroy before heading home." TK says before taking a bit out of the French fry that's in his hand. He nods in understanding.

"I think Mimi's going to be popping up for a surprise visit soon. I hope she brings those pictures." He says, changing the topic. "You think so?" TK asks. "I don't see why not, she's worried about what's happening to the Digital World. Plus I think she misses classic Japanese food." He says thoughtfully. "I guess, I remember visiting my grandparents in France and missed having steamed rice." TK says thoughtfully.

Soon they finish their side dishes and drinks, they throw there trash out and walk out of the restaurant doors. They walk back to the school; hopefully they'll be able to making back into the school yard without anyone noticing them. Once they make it to their usual spot, something white drops out of the tree and says, "Kari's been looking for you guys." "What did she want?" He asks Gatomon. "She founded Patamon eating your lunch, Takato and questioned him. She's been prowling around ever since." The white cat champion Digimon says.

TK sighs and he says, "You're disappointed that we didn't get him to share with you." Gatomon crosses her paws over her chest. "Gigimon ate TK's lunch, so I felt like I owed the orange rookie a meal." He says. "So you bought TK lunch too?" Gatomon asks. He scratches the back of his head as he notices the look on TK's face. He groans as he notices Kari coming towards them, clearly on the war path. "There you guys are! Where have you been?" Kari hisses once she's close enough.

They both look down, he kicks the grass. "Well?" Kari demands. "We went to a fast food restaurant. It was my idea, not TK's." He says looking up at Kari. Kari just sighs and shakes her head. "You could have gotten suspended." Kari says in an angry tone. "But we didn't get caught, so no harm no fowl." He counters. "He has a point, Kari." Gatomon admits. Kari was about to say some more, only to have Cody and Yolei appear.

"Hey guys!" Yolei says cheerfully. "Hey Yolei. Cody." TK and him say about the same time. "So, where were you two? Kari was looking every where for you two." Yolei says, he just sighs and TK tells them where they went. From the looks of things, Yolei was more hurt that they hadn't told them where they were going and that they hadn't asked if they wanted to come.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Davis shouts as he comes jogging towards them. "Hey Davis." He greets the other goggle wearing preteen. "Did I miss something?" Davis asks as he stops dead once he takes a look at Kari's and Yolei's face. He looks on in amusement as the group just stares at Davis, then the bell rings, which means that they then head towards the school. He's happy that he's not going to be around tonight, he just knows that Kari's not done with this just yet.

To be continued …


	8. Of Ambushes and Depressions

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8

She sighs as she stares up at the ceiling, Gigimon resting on her stomach with Calumon on the coffee table watching TV, her partner currently snoozing in her room that she shares with Takato. She sighs as she remembers where Takato and Tai were, doing some quality brother bonding time with Matt and TK. _'It's not like I'm jealous or anything, I'm just so bored!'_ She thinks to herself.

She jerks as she hears her D-Terminal go off. She reaches towards the coffee table, knowing that Gigimon sleeps like a log, and checks out the newest message. She blinks as she realises that it only gave coordinates and nothing else. She frowns as she sits up, causing Gigimon to roll towards her legs. She reaches and picks up Gigimon, once she's off the couch, she places Gigimon on it. She bites her lower lip as she stares down at the coordinates.

"But the school is closed." She says out loud. As she closes the top of her D-Terminal, she receives another message. She clicks on it and finds that they're instructions on how to access the gate from computer she shares with Takato. She's very unnerved about this whole thing. She sighs, she really wants to know what's going on and though it would be safer just to forget about this, she's curious as to whether the instructions would work.

"Maybe I should call someone." She muses and closes the top of her D-Terminal and pockets it. She walks over towards the phone and dials Sora's number. "Hello?" The voice of someone older says. "Hi, this is Kari, Tai's sister. Is Sora there?" She says calmly. "Just one moment." Sora's mother says and after a bit of background noise, Sora's voice says, "Kari?" She smiles in relief and says, "Hey Sora. Can you come over? I got these coordinates to a place and instructions on how to get there from my computer. I just want to see if it works, the instructions I mean." A bit of a silence and then Sora says, "I'll be right over, and Kari? Thanks for not rushing off to investigate on your own." She smiles and hears Sora hang up the phone.

Calumon looks over at her from his spot on the coffee table. "What's wrong?" The white Digimon asks in concern. "I'm trying to figure out whether I should check out those coordinates or not." She says, feeling slightly calmer now that she admits it out loud. "Oh, do you want me to come too?" Calumon asks, now floating in the air before her, the TV forgotten.

She frowns as she ponders these and in the end, didn't see any reason not to bring Calumon along. Actually, they might need him if they run into trouble, for Calumon would help them Digivolve naturally, something which is being hard to do with all of those Control Spires set up in the Digital World. "You can come." She says and Calumon cheers, she glances over to the couch and, unsurprisingly, finds Gigimon still fast asleep.

She walks up and turns off the TV. She then heads into the bedroom and turns on the computer with Calumon hovering behind her. She follows the instructions she received and within a few seconds, she has an actual gate to the Digital World on her computer screen. She just stares dumbfoundedly at the screen, stunned to find that she could open a gate on her own computer.

A knock at the door startles her and she gets up off the chair, Gatomon waking up as she exits the room. She opens the door and Sora walks into the apartment, clearly nervous. "It worked, Sora. I can access the gate on my own computer." She says in awe. Sora blinks in surprise. "Are you sure it's really a gate?" The teen asks as they head into her room, Gatomon currently studying the computer screen from the chair she had been sitting on.

Calumon rests on her shoulder, looking at the screen as Sora studies it. "It looks genuine." Sora finally says after about a minute of study. Gatomon nods her agreements. "Should we test it out?" She asks. Sora stands up, clearly thinking about it. She adds, "Calumon should be able to by pass the effect the Control Spires have on Digivolving. I mean, he's a catalyst of Digivolution and he's not from this dimension, so if things go wrong, Angewomon or maybe Phoenixmon should be enough to get us out of a jam." Sora nods by the time she finishes her sentence.

They take out their respective Digivices and hold them up to the screen. "Digi Port Open!" She says, and soon Sora, Gatomon, and her end up in a dog pile. "Maybe we should ask Gennai to fix the landings." She mutters as they untangle themselves, Calumon floating over head, clearly finding it funny that they got tangled up.

They soon glance around; surprise to find themselves on a mountain side. She frowns as notices the cave to their right. "Why would someone want to come here?" She asks herself. "Sora!" They turn and watch as Biyomon, Sora's partner land. She smiles as the two hug each other, kind of forgetting that unlike the newest group, the older Digidestine don't see their partners that often. She turns away and studies what she can see of the cave.

"I was hoping for the one of Light to come alone, but I think this will work out just as well." A voice says as a Digimon steps out from the shadows on the left wall of the cave. "Who are you and what do you want with me?" She asks, Gatomon and Biyomon moving to stand before their respective partners, Calumon lands on her shoulder.

The Digimon before them has a helmet much like Halsemon's, complete with the crest of Love on it, only it was in red. Blue tusks jet out of the mouth and green hair lies on the Digimon's back. The body is red with yellow strips, the Digimon stands on all fours, three claws to each foot. The wings of the helmet curve upwards, meaning that this Digimon wasn't a flier. "I am Sethmon, a servant of Lord GranDracmon. My minions are Fugamon and Hyogamon. With you as my hostages, the one known as Takato will surrender himself to my Lord." The armour Digimon states in a matter of fact tone.

They watch as two odd looking Ogremon appear from the shadow behind Sethmon. The blue Ogremon has ice coming out of his shoulders with a club made of ice. The other one is a maroon color with colors being yellow with black stripes, the club is made out of bone. _'I'm guessing that the blue one is Hyogamon and the maroon one is Fugamon.'_ She thinks to her self.

"What makes you so confident? Takato and Guilmon thrashed DeathXmon as Gallantmon Crimson Mode!" Gatomon asks, the pair of taller Digimon began to split apart as they walk towards them in a threatening manner. "For one thing, I doubt either of you Digimon are that powerful, even if you can reach ultimate with the catalyst's help. Secondly, who says that Fugamon and Hyogamon are the only ones I brought with me?" Sethmon says, clearly amused.

Sora and her share a startled look, then a questioning one. _'But Biyomon's able to go mega, doesn't he know that?'_ She thinks to her self. "How do you know how far our partners can go?" She asks, looking back at Sethmon. The Digimon grins slightly as he says, "We have our ways, child, we have our ways."

She doesn't know why, but she gets the feeling that Sethmon doesn't know anything about them. "Calumon?" She asks softly, the little white Digimon nods and the red upside down triangle glows as she looks side ways at Calumon. "Biyomon warp Digivolve to…" "She can warp!" Sethmon says, clearly startled about this development. "Phoenixmon!" The newly Digivolved Digimon says.

All around them, Digimon began to appear out of the shadows, the two Digimon that had been behind Sethmon were already attacking Sora's partner. "Gatomon?" She says, her partner nods as she says, "On it, Kari. Gatomon Digivolve to… Angewomon!" The bird mega cries out, "Star-Light Explosion!" Angewomon flies height into the air in order to evade the light show that is Phoenixmon's Star-Light Explosion.

Sora and her flatten themselves to the ground, she has Calumon in her arms. They look up as those enemy Digimon that survive roar out their attacks, their partners dodge and counter attack the Digimon as Sethmon roars out battle instructions. "Heaven's Charm!" Her partner shouts and that freezes a few of the enemy Digimon, Phoenixmon roars out, "Crimson Flame!" Their partners work together and soon Sethmon is shouting, "Retreat! Retreat!" The remaining Digimon which were now seven total, not counting Sethmon, soon disappear which leaves them the victors of the battle.

Sora and her stand up, their partners land and transform back to their lower forms. Calumon wiggles out of her arms and circles around her as she walks to where Gatomon is. "I guess we showed them." Gatomon says, she can tell that Gatomon is tired. "Yea, I guess we did." Sora says as she supports Biyomon. "I wonder where they got their information, though. Sethmon didn't seem to expect either of us to go higher then ultimate." She says frowning as she picks up Gatomon, her partner doesn't protest.

Sora sighs and is also carrying Biyomon, Calumon resting on Sora's head. "We should get back. We can talk to the others about it then." Sora says. She nods and they walk towards the TV. She couldn't believe that they faced off against the agents of GranDracmon and were able to defeat them. She frowns as she realises that they now had to worry about Takato's safety as well as defeating the Digimon Emperor. _'Well, at least Takato doesn't have to worry about Control Spires affecting Guilmon's Digivolution.'_ She things as they set about untangling themselves once more, her feelings of boredom long forgotten after tonight's events.

(-TK-)

They all seat around on the grass, each thinking about what happened on Friday evening. He's sitting by his brother with Patamon resting in his lap. Tai's sitting protectively by Kari and Takato, Gigimon's playing with DemiVeemon and Calumon. Joe's pacing as Izzy examining Kari's D-Terminal with his laptop out to his left. To his right, Yolei and Cody were doing their homework as Davis lies on his stomach watching his partner play with Gigimon and Calumon. Sora sits to Kari's left, slightly behind Kari. Takato's busy with his scrap book, with colour pencils in front of him and a pencil in his hand.

From the glances Takato sends to different members of the group, he bets that Takato sketching them. He had seen the latest picture that Takato proudly showed them, it was of the boy genius Ken Ichijouji. He admits that Takato did a great job on it and wondered if the yellow goggle wearing preteen is going to frame it and display it. He wonders if he could talk Takato into doing something similar with Patamon and him as his subjects.

"Well, who ever sent these instructions knew that the gate can be opened on any computer. I can't believe I hadn't thought about it before, it would save us so much worry about our needing to use the computer lab." Izzy announces, breaking the silences that hung in the air. They all turn to look at the computer wizard, with the three in-training Digimon and Joe stops moving about to look at the red head too. "So we don't have to keep sneaking into the computer lab after school to go to the Digital World? Cool!" Davis says, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Takato looks up down into the scrap book he has in his lap, he frowns slightly, wondering if something's wrong with his friend. The three in-training Digimon just shrug and return to goofing off. "Something wrong Takato?" He asks, thus drawing the attention of the others. Takato sighs, looking up from his scrap book; the preteen puts his pencil behind his ear once he closes his scrap book.

"I can't say for certain, but I think I have an idea where they're getting their information. I can say with certainty that they'll not be bothering us until they have a better understanding of what's happening, which means that they'll begin to show up again once the Digimon Emperor is no longer a problem. They might not be affected by the dark rings, but they clearly don't want to catch the Emperor's interest, why else would they draw Kari out during the night? When the Emperor's not in the Digital World?" Takato says, they nod for it does make sense that they wouldn't want to deal with they tyrant of the Digital World. "Any thing else?" Matt asks calmly.

"I think we might want to prepare for the worst. I think that the Emperor is getting to the point where he might want to abandon his life in the real world to rule his territory twenty-four seven." Takato says. They look alert and they bombard the preteen with questions. Takato hold his hands up, trying to fend off their questions, they stop once Tai gives them all glares. "And why is that?" Tai asks his adopted brother. "Well think about it, he thinks this is all just a game, right? A game he seems to be winning, so why is he going to the Digital World in the first place? Maybe he's not satisfied with the life he's leading in the real world. Maybe, he's just a pawn to someone who wants him to think it's all just a game. I mean, we certainly didn't know when the gates between worlds would open up again, so some one must have been watching and waiting." Takato says, they all blink as they consider what Takato's implying.

"I think we'll have to worry about that once we defeat the Digimon Emperor. Besides, how bad can this puppet master be if he has to use a human?" Yolei says, they nod in agreement, expect for Takato, Kari, and himself. They soon become quiet, lost to their own thoughts.

He's kind of wondering just how much Takato really knows, since Takato seems so confident that GranDracmon's minions have misinformation. Soon members of their group leave, having other things to do today. His brother just seems to lie down on his back, staring up into the sky. Takato hasn't open his scrap book, his best friend of his gender and species just seems to be staring off into space, wondering around in his thoughts. Tai had left with Sora; they had a project to research for. Joe surprisingly sat down and started talking with Cody. Izzy left with Yolei, they were talking about computers. Kari and Davis also headed off, Davis talking about soccer and their chances of facing off against the soccer team that has Ken Ichijouji on it.

He looks down at his partner, wondering about whether or not their Digimon were affected by the dark rings. He can tell that Gigimon and Calumon were done and were already fast asleep on the grass. He smiles slightly at the pair, amazed that at how easy going they were. _'You'd think they're put on this earth just to goof off. Well, eat and goof off.'_ He thinks in amusement. Still amazed at the pair's ability to be so carefree, especially Gigimon's ability concerning that some powerful Digimon wants his partner for some reason.

He glances at Takato, something clicking as he observed his friend. _'But then again, Takato seems to have enough worry to the both of them. I wonder what he's worried about now?'_ He thinks to himself before he copies his brother; he gazes at the clouds floating above them. Deciding to enjoy being around his good friends and family.

(-Takato-)

He presses his lips together as he continues sketching what Rika looks like from his memory. This is the third page that he's doodling on, hoping to catch a bit of Rika's essence on paper before trying to do something bigger. He blinks as he finds something blocking his sunlight and looks up into a familiar face.

"Ken." He says simply, he puts his pencil behind his ear. "Takato, was it?" The dark looking preteen asks. He nods, trying to remain calm while he's trying to go through reason why the so called Digimon Emperor would seek him out. "You want that sketch." He states, the way Ken's eyes widen slightly confirms his guess. "If you will." Ken says dryly. He shrugs and pulls out the page from his scrap book. "I'm done with it and I think I might frame the final product though." He says causally as he hands it to the preteen that seems to have the same hairstyle Kari use to wear when she was ten.

At the mention of a final product, Ken's eyes narrow and survey him coolly. "If you want, I could E-Mail a scan of it, though I would need your E-Mail address to do so." He adds lightly. Congratulating himself for staying in control of his raging emotions. The look of pure loathing is plastered on Ken's face, clearly not happy that he's not rolling over and trying to please the boy genius.

'_Rika would be proud.'_ He thinks to himself as he remains calm under Ken's scrutiny. Ken gains control of himself, most likely angry that some 'insect' was able to make him lose control of himself. Personally, he thinks it's mostly because of the goggles he wears on his head. Davis does have a knack of getting under Ken's skin when the boy's Dark Spore was in control. "You don't seem to understand that what you did could be considered invading my privacy. I didn't give you permission to sketch me." Ken says in a calm voice, the undertones of a threat clearly there.

"I believe a park is a public place, therefore on entering it you lose your right of dictating what happens in said place. Besides, I think you won't mind in a few months, opinions change over time you know." He says, allowing a bit of his amusement to be evident. Just as Ken's about to say something, Davis shouts out a greeting, not paying any attention to the fact that Ken Ichijouji was standing before him.

"Hey Davis." He says as he gets up off the ground, his scrap book under his arm. "I just totally rocked today at practice! You should have seen me, I was like on fire or something!" The other goggle head exclaims, he can tell that Ken's quite pissed by the simple fact that Davis hasn't noticed him. As Davis continues to go on and on about his performance at practice today, Ken seems to be ready to explode, only to gain control once the other boy realises that he's watching his reactions.

"I'll be seeing you then, … Takato." Ken says, clearly trying to control his rage and walks briskly away. "Wasn't that…" Davis says, looking on in awe as Ken walks away. "Ken Ichijouji." He completes Davis's sentence. "Dude! Could you, like, get me an autograph?" Davis asks, in an almost pleading tone. He chuckles as he picks up his pack, Gigimon still fast asleep within. He shoulders his pack and pats Davis on the back. "Let's go, Davis. We got homework to do." He says, as he puts a hand on Davis's shoulders, guiding him away from the spot. Davis didn't resist where their headed, clearly having fantasies of either being on the same soccer team as Ken or beating Ken's team.

)-(

"Please, Takato! Can't you just ask for his autograph? I mean, I've never heard of him approaching anyone before! Can you imagine, our own resident dimensional travel is on a first name bases with the boy genius!" Yolei brags and pleads in the same breath. He feels his patience wearing very thin as Davis and Yolei take turns begging him to get them Ken's autographs. He can just tell that TK and Kari were plainly amused about his situation.

Cody doesn't seem to care one bit about his relationship with Ken, which at this very moment makes Cody his new best friend, replacing TK for now. Cody is currently standing before the computer. He's expecting Mimi to arrive at any minute now, which is why he's enduring the pleading of the two of the loudest DigiDestine.

A knock at the door saves the day, he excuses himself and answers the door and gives Mimi a huge hug. "Thank god you're here, I'm heading off. So have fun!" He says and then escapes the apartment, leaving a startled Mimi. Shouldering hitches his book bag some more as he continues down the hall, leaving a sleeping Gigimon back in the apartment. He shakes his head as he enters into the elevator, he just hopes that Mimi leaves the pictures of Calumon in those out fits she had him in. He really wouldn't mind getting his own copies to show his friends back home.

He sighs as memories of the last time he saw them come parading into his mind. He just hopes that those Tamers that had been captured were ok; he prays that they're ok, for he doubts he'd be able to live with himself if something happens to them. An image of a crying Suzie enters his mind, he closes his eyes, wondering just what he's suppose to do. His heart wrenches as he pictures a very pale and unmoving Rika. He leans on the back of the elevator, alone with his own thoughts. He decides to seek out Tai and talk to his adopted brother about his depressing thoughts.

(-Tai-)

He blinks as he notices Takato coming towards him. He glances over at the coach before getting off the bench. Takato looks really down and he places a comforting arm around the younger boy's shoulders. "You ok?" He asks, Takato sighs and replies, "I just began to think about my friends that have been captured. I began to imagine Rika's…" He sighs and pulls the young preteen in for a hug. He rocks back and forth, remembering other times he's comforted his younger siblings, blood related or adopted.

"It's ok, we'll help, Takato. You're not alone." He says, over and over, like a broken record. Takato pull himself closer, wrapping his arms around his back. He sighs mentally, wondering what brought this on. Luckily, nobody has interfered and he was able to guild Takato to the closest bench to his team's bench. Takato wipes his tears away with the back of his hand. He sighs and after Takato tells him he's alright, he returns to the bench, he kept looking at Takato when ever he was benched.

About an hour later, he takes his younger brother out for lunch. The restaurant's quiet and after making sure that they won't be overheard, he asks, "So what brought this on?" Takato sighs and answers, "I was thinking about getting mine own copies of those pictures of Calumon that Mimi has to show my friends back home. Then I began remembering the last time I saw them… They were overwhelming." He nods, he couldn't understand what's Takato's going though. All he can do is provide comfort and a shoulder to cry on.

He stirs his drink with his straw, the silence kind of deafening. "So, you've been sketching pictures of a girl, just who's that you're drawing?" He's changing the subject. Takato takes out his scrap book and hands it over, he goes through the pages until he reaches the ones he meant. Takato looks and sighs. "I'm trying to drawn Rika." The younger boy says.

He blinks and whistles, before saying, "She's a looker." He grins slightly as Takato blushes, revealing Takato's feelings. He goes through the few pages that Takato has drawn of the female Tamer. "So, she's got a boyfriend or something?" He asks, curious about the young woman that has his brother's affections. "Not really, mostly through her attitude and her desire not to end up like her mother. It probably doesn't help that Ryo likes to bug her by calling her Wild Cat. She really doesn't like him, mostly due to the fact he better her in a Digimon Card Game tournament. People like to call them the Digimon King and Queen. She really doesn't like to conform to what's considered normal." Takato says. He nods as he says "Must be a loner." "She is, one might say a female version of Matt. She doesn't mind being called a Tomboy or Ice Queen. Terriermon just can't keep his mouth shut." Takato muses.

He chuckles slightly at the comparison that Takato uses. "Must be some girl." He states, Takato nods in agreement. Their food arrives and soon they're digging in. He wants to ask, to pry more information out of Takato about his friends, family, about his adventures, but knows that Takato will tell them when he feels comfortable enough to tell them about it.

"I know you guys really want to hear about what my friends and I went through and I think that I'll tell you guys soon. I can't tell it all, some parts aren't mine to tell. I know you guys are burning with curiosity to know and I really am thankful that you guys have been able to hold it in for so long. All I can say is that it's worth it. All I can say right now is this, the story is full of grey areas, plus it's not all that black and white like how things are here. I caused my own partner to become a monster and then within a few minutes, experienced a union between Guilmon and myself. All I can say for certain is that all of what I'm going to tell you guys is true, even the most unbelievable things that we did or saw. I really did grow and mature as I was shaped into how I am today." Takato says, he frowns at the reference to turning Guilmon into a monster. That brought out memories of him turning Agumon into a monster. "Must be one hell of a story." He says, Takato chuckles slightly as he replies, "Trust me, you'll be wordless by the time I'm done."

(-Kari-)

She sighs as she glances over at where Takato's resting. She takes Takato's scrap book and heads to the table to look at it. As she pages through it, she notices the three pages with the doodles of the same person. She turns to the latest to find pictures of a fox Digimon, an odd rabbit Digimon with a horn on its forehead, and some Digimon that looks like a kid dressed up in a costume.

She closes the book and gets up to make herself a snack. Once they finished their picnic and met up with Yolei, Mimi, and their partners, they headed back to the real world where Mimi walked Yolei and her into going shopping. She doesn't know how she did it, but she managed to come away with only one bag, which is pretty good considering how Mimi has a way with words.

She thought about what happened last weekend and wonders what happened when she left with Davis. She remembers how out of it Takato looked after he said his piece. She walks to the chair and grabs the remote to turn on the TV. Takato wakes as she finishes her snack. "Hey." Her adopted brother says softly. "Hey. So, how was your day?" She asks. Takato's eyes become distant for a few seconds, before Takato blinks. "Just weird." Takato admits.

She raises an eye brow at that, but doesn't press Takato for more information. "I noticed you drew some Digimon." She says, changing the topic. "Yea, I just wanted to do something different." The yellow goggle wearing preteen answer, he pulls himself up and sits with his back against the back of the couch. "So who are they?" She asks. "The fox's Renamon, the odd looking rabbit is Terriermon, and the last one is Impmon. I didn't have enough room to do Cyberdramon, though." Takato says. She nods, sure she hasn't a clue what a Cyberdramon is, but she guesses that the mon's pretty big.

They sat in silence while they watch TV. She wonders just what happened while she was with her friends. Soon Tai shouts, "I'm home!" She turns and smiles at her older brother. "Hey Tai, how was your soccer game?" She asks. Tai blinks as he looks at her and then over at Takato. She frowns in puzzlement as Tai gets a worried look on his face. "It was fine, only Takato kind of showed up…" Tai says, before running a hand through his hair. "I got depressed cause I got hit with a huge douse of survivor's guilt." Takato admits. She looks at each of them and feels bad for bringing it up.

"Sorry." She says, Takato shakes his head as he says, "You didn't know, Kari." Tai nods in agreement and she watches as Tai puts down his book bag and walks towards the couch. Her older brother plunks down onto the couch and they watch TV together in silence. She felt bad for not being there for Takato when he needed someone to comfort him.

After about an hour, Takato gets up and starts making supper, their parents were once again out of town. Gatomon and Gigimon come out of the bedroom she shares with Takato, Gigimon jumps up into her lap as Gatomon sits on the couch with Tai. She pets the in-training Digimon absently as she wanders around in her own thoughts.

To be continued …


	9. Iron Wills Collide

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9

He curses himself once more as he walks under the hot sun with Patamon perched on his hat. Davis walks a few steps behind him, Veemon seemly unaffected by the hot desert air. He just can't believe that he hadn't hold up to let Kari and Nefertimon go before Pegasusmon and him. _'All I had to do is just hold up for a second, to make sure that they were right behind me… Tai'll have my hide if anything happens to Kari and Takato will definitely have my head!'_ He thinks to himself.

He sighs in relief as they come within sight of the domed city. "There's guards! Ready Veemon?" Davis says. "I think I can Digivolve here, there isn't any Control Spire to cancel it." Patamon says once his partner gets off his hat. "Go for it." He says, grinning slightly. "Patamon Digivolved too… Angemon!" His humanoid partner says. "Wow, I didn't know that Patamon could Digivolve into an Angel." Davis says, clearly surprised and impressed. "Gatomon can too. Angewomon is her ultimate level form." He replies as Angemon makes shot work out of the pair of controlled Digimon guards.

"So let me get this straight, your partner is Angemon and Gatomon is Angewomon? So there's an Angebabymon somewhere out there?" Davis demands. He looks down at Veemon, hoping that the rookie might be able to shed some light into what Davis is talking about. The blue dragon shrugs, also not understanding what the holder of Digi Egg of Courage is talking about. "Davismon, shouldn't we worry about Kari?" Veemon asks, he grins at the habit that Veemon picked up from Gigimon.

"I told you not to mimic Gigimon's speech pattern!" Davis scowls at his blue partner. Veemon only grins and he chuckles to himself as he turns away from pair. Angemon has the gates open already and they soon walk into the dome city. As his partner walks through the gate, he transforms back into Patamon. "Ah nuts." Patamon says once the orange Digimon realises he's back to being Patamon. He sighs, wondering why Patamon transformed back while the partners of the older Digidestine don't seem to have that problem. He'll just have to ask Izzy later about it.

He picks up his Digivice and checks to see if he has picked up Kari's signal. He sighs, as he pockets his Digivice as he frown in the direction of the Control Spire. _'It must be interfering with our abilities to detect each other's signals.'_ He thinks to himself.

A large explosion catches their attention. "That works." He says as they watch a group of robotic Digimon are seen swarming towards that building. "It really does." Davis admits. "Digi Armour Energize!" They say at the same time. "Veemon Armour Digivolve to… Flamedramon!" "Patamon Armour Digivolve to… Pegasusmon!" Their partners then move to intercept the swarm of controlled Guardromon. "Kari!" Davis shouts, causing the white blur to turn around and head their way.

"You guys made it!" Kari says once she touches the ground. Nefertimon leaps into the air to help Flamedramon and Pegasusmon in warding off the army of controlled Guardromon. "Now we just have to leave the city." Davis says. He sighs and is about so say something until a familiar voice repeat a familiar phrase. "Intruders, halt Intruders." He turns around slowly. "Andromon." Comes out in surprise, he gets this odd feeling of Déjà vu as he stands rooted to the spot.

"Andromon!" Kari says and takes a few steps towards the android Digimon. "Intruders are hereby asked to surround or face extermination." The approaching Digimon says. He groans as he realises why this seems to familiar, he can even see the dark ring that's a mark of enslavement. "Great, now we just need is a goggle wearing Digidestine to run head first towards him and we get File Island all over again." He says to himself. "Hey buddy! Leave Kari alone!" Davis says as Andromon picks Kari up by the front of her shirt.

He sighs as he rubs the back of his neck. "Andromon, don't you remember me? We met when you were helping us against Machinedramon. Don't you remember?" Kari says, hoping for the android Digimon to fight the Digimon Emperor's control over him. He ducks as something flies close to his head. He notices a large rush passing over head, he watches as Flamedramon passes over head using Fire Rocket.

He moves forward and knocks Davis down as a missile flies pass where Davis was standing, either Kari or Andromon seem to notice that the battle has just arrived at their door step. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon were busy with a large group of Guardromon were tied up by the pair's Golden Noose.

"Thanks, AK." Davis says as the battle once more leaves the vicinity. "It's TK and your welcome." He says as he helps Davis get up off the ground. "Gatling Attack!" Andromon's voice rings out and the missiles hit the Control Spire. He watches as all of the Guardromon stop in mid pursuit. "What just happened?" Davis asks in a confused tone. He turns to look at Andromon and sighs. "Your guess is as good as mine." He says simply, their partners coming to rest where they are.

(-Takato-)

He looks around, he can tell that TK feels guilty about what happened this morning and Kari looks ready to have a go at it if either Tai or him decide to blame TK or Davis for what happened. He already knew it would happen, so he didn't blame either of them, though Tai's glaring at the two.

Snacks were out and their partners were full, for now anyway. They had just finished eating and he's done gathering his courage. He looks thoughtfully at the group gathered before him; he's stunned to find Mimi here as well. He concludes that Izzy has something to do with Mimi being able to attend.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them and beginning. "I was twelve years old and my parents owned a bakery. My two friends back then were Kazu Shiota and Kenta Kitigawa. We use to collect Digimon cards and play against each other. I was just a normal kid, I'd go to school, hang out with my friends, and help out around the bakery." He grins slightly as he remembers how Kazu won most of their card battles. "I was late for class one day, so I was just waiting out in the hall. So I took out my note pad and began drawing a picture of a red and black Digimon. I got in trouble back talking the teacher when she came to let me into the classroom. I was just so absorbed into drawing Guilmon that I forgot I was at school."

Chuckles erupt from the group, he grins sheepishly then continues. "So I got detention, I had to write a letter of apology to the teacher. I had of course continued working on Guilmon throughout the day. Once I finished, I headed off the usual hang out at the park. A storm was brewing and I dropped my shoe box that contained most of my collection. It was then did I hold the Blue Card for the first time. I swiped it through my card reader and before my eyes it transformed into my first D-Ark." He pauses, remembering the feelings he felt on seeing that red and white Digivice. He notices the surprise looks from his audience.

"It was red and white; I couldn't believe that I got a Digivice. I took it home to examine it. Once I got home, I headed straight into my room. I began looking for a Digi Egg, but there wasn't one. I noticed the card slot and took out my pad of paper. I tried swiping it through, but it got stuck. As I was leaving the room, the D-Ark acted on its own and scanned the pages of paper. I picked up my D-Ark to find an egg on the screen. I cleared up the mess of papers and headed down to eat supper." He pauses and then continues, "That night I had the strangest dream…"

)-(

He finished his story, surprise to notice that the Digimon themselves had been paying attention to his story. After a few minutes, a rumble erupts from the Digimon; the others blink and turn to look at the group of Digimon. "I guess we're hungry." DemiVeemon says in embarrassment. They chuckle and they soon pass the food to the hungry Digimon. He's relieved that the group's attention is no longer on him.

"You know, that's some adventures you had." Tai says when the others leave. Kari nods in agreement as Tai continues, "I guess going through so much with your friends and not being able to do anything for them now would depress anyone." He nods at Tai's attempts of sympathy. "Personally? I'm glad that we don't have to worry about some goo that deletes things by touching them." Kari says, changing the subject.

He nods before saying, "Yea, you just got to deal with some guy trying to take over the Digital World and some mysterious puppet master." Gatomon just sighs while Gigimon and Calumon continue munching the remnants of the leftover food. He blinks in surprise as he notices the time. "Its pass our bed time." He says out loud. His adopted siblings stop and also check the time. "Wow, that tale of yours was pretty long, Takato. Let's hurry this up and then head off." The older goggle wearing Digidestine says and they nod. He sighs and feels so relieved to let that off his chest, now he wonders when the time will be right to tell them about the cartoon show that's based on their adventures, without him ever being here.

(-Kari-)

Down on the field the soccer ball is kicked towards the other team's net. The goalie tries to grab the ball, but misses. Davis's team scores a goal and the referee blows his whistle. She shakes her head at Davis's antics as the young holder of Digi Egg of Courage jumps around yelling like crazy for a few more seconds.

"I was hoping Ken would show." Yolei says wistfully, she shrugs, knowing that Yolei has a crush on the young genius. "There's time left, he might show still." Takato says, Tai nods in agreement as she just sighs. "You really think he'll show?" TK asks. "I think that answers that." Takato says as he turns and points to the car that just stopped.

The car door opens and out steps Ken-the-Rocket Ichijouji. She shivers slightly as she watches the way Ken walks down the steps. Davis runs up and says something to Ken once he enters onto the field. They then separate with Davis burning with excitement. "I wonder if Ken's arrive will change the out come." Tai wonders out loud. "Want to make a bet, bro?" Takato asks and Tai chuckles slightly. "Not a gambler." Tai says and Takato's eyes sparkle with amusement.

Soon the game starts up and right off the bat, she can tell that something had changed as Ken begins to shout orders to his team mates. "It's like watching a general leading his soldiers into battle." Cody says as Ken's team scores within four minutes. "Yea, it does." TK says in an uncertain tone. She glances at her blond friend before she turns right around as the game starts up once more.

She sighs as shakes her head, Ken's team won by two points. Ken and Davis met up again and they talk for a few seconds before they shake hands. Everyone but Takato charge forth to congratulate Davis on his performance on the field and of course Davis was modest about it. She turns and notices that Ken and Takato seem to be in a staring contest. Ken's eyes look down at Gigimon and the kid frowns. Takato puts Gigimon onto his shoulder and Ken seems to glare at Takato. Ken says something to Takato and her adopted brother seems to grin and says something to Ken. Ken snarls at Takato before stomping off. Takato just watches Ken-the-Rocket walk away, she couldn't see his face but she would wager money that the yellow goggle wearing preteen has a large smile on his face.

'_What game are you playing at, Takato? Why do you seem to enjoy pissing off Ken Ichijouji?_' She thinks to herself, before turning away. She'll think about what happened later.

(-Ken-)

As he walks up the steps, he notices a familiar face. He stares into Takato's eyes for a bit, before looks down at the red bundle in the preteen's arms. He frowns as he wonders if the red bundle is a Digimon. _'It's only a game, isn't it?'_ He wonders to himself. Takato then puts the red thing onto his shoulder and he notices how it blinks and studies him. He glares at Takato, which only seems to make Takato grin slightly. "It's only a game." He says. "Maybe, but if it is, then why is he and the others here, in our world?" The other asks.

He stiffens and snarls, "Then maybe I'll use them to conquer this world!" He turns on his heel and walks away. He can feel Takato's eyes on him; he just wanted to sucker punch the red eyed preteen in the jaw.

His thoughts turn away from the goggle wearing artist to the goggle wearing soccer player. He can feel the cut stinging as he continues to walk towards his parent's apartment. _'I'll deal with that idiot first, the one that's been destroying my precious Control Spires. I do have to pay him back to this cut as well.'_ He thinks to himself as he begins to plot what his course of action will be.

(-Kari-)

She feels numb as they stare at the news report. "Takato's prediction came true." TK says softly. She blinks and then nods as she remembers that meeting. "So we're just dealing with the puppet? I wonder how much more powerful the puppet master is." Yolei wonders out loud. She closes her eyes as she takes a long calming breath.

"A great Digimon once said and I quote 'Momentai.'" Davis says as the goggle wearing preteen says. She chuckles as she remembers who Davis is quoting. "We just need to talk sense into Ken, even if we have to beat his whole army to do it. Cheer up guys, we're a team and he's just one guy with a god complex. Given a few weeks and we'll drag Ken back to his parent, willingly or not." Davis says, lifting their spirits. "So it's decided! We'll keep trying to beat sense into Ken Ichijouji until it sticks!" Yolei shouts as she punches the air with her left fist.

They soon drift off, TK coming with her to her family's apartment, Yolei and Cody sitting in front of Yolei's TV, and Davis heading off to the mall to get some new shoes. "You know, Takato had a run in with Ken after the game yesterday." She says once they stop at a cross walk. "Really? What was it about?" TK asks. She frowns and says, "I don't know, I didn't ask him. Though it was weird, Ken snarled something before stomping off. I think Takato won the argument though." "Maybe if we double team him we'll get some answers." The blond suggests. She thinks for a minute before nodding her head in agreement. "It's worth a shot." She admits before they walk across the street.

(-Takato-)

He smiles as he finishes his portrait of Tai and Agumon, with Agumon's Digivolutions ghost like in the back ground. He grins and says, "Done!" He hands the book to Tai once his adopted brother walks up to him. "This is… wow; you'll be doing this in colour next?" Tai asks, not taking his eyes off the sketch in his hand. "I think so, though I want to try using an air brush though. So I'll have to wait before doing it in colour." He says thoughtfully as he waits for Tai to hand over the scrap book.

He turns as the door opens and notices that Kari and TK enter. "Hey, check out what Takato drew." Tai says and shows the pair. "That's really good, Takato! Maybe you'll do one of Patamon and me?" TK asks, giving him a pleading look. "Sure, I do plan on doing everyone's portrait." He says, sitting down once he stands before the couch.

He blinks as TK and Kari share a look, he sighs. "What happened?" He asks, though he has a sneaking suspicion what happened. "It seems that Ken Ichijouji's the Digimon Emperor. He also ran away from home and has taken up residents in the Digital World." TK says. He motions for them to continue, knowing that they're not through yet. "I also seem to remember that you had a run in with him after the soccer game. You two exchanged words and he stomped off in fury." Kari says after a few seconds. "Ah, well, it's kind of one of those things where you wouldn't believe me until you see it for your self kind of things. After meeting him a few times, I kind of noticed how… how should I put this, I got this feeling that he's not what he seems. I found him easily angered if you don't try bend over backwards to please him. He seemed to expect a certain kind of behaviour from me, most likely for me to be in awe and amazement that he's even speaking to me. Need I go on?" He asks as the pair blink in surprise, clearly expecting him to fight them as they questioned him.

"Huh, you'd think that someone else would have commented on it." Tai says thoughtfully. He chuckles and says, "Why should they? He acted in the way they wanted, they didn't want to scratch the surface, you know? They didn't want to see the messed up preteen behind the genius." Kari nods thoughtfully as TK seems to be thinking on this more deeply. "You think he's messed up?" Tai asks. He nods and tells them, "I did a bit of research on Ken Ichijouji and you know what I found out? Ken had an older brother named Sam and he also had been a genius too. Kind of makes you wonder about how hard Ken has tried to fill his brother's shoes. I mean, he lived in life in his brother's shadows and being the dutiful son that he is, probably tried to fulfil his parents' dreams of having a genius as a son. I don't know about you guys, but that's a lot of weight on a kid's shoulders. I'm kind of surprise he even stuck around in the real world for so long."

Patamon and Gatomon finally get out of the back packs. They turn and the two Digimon glares at their respective partners. "I better be getting fish for dinner." Gatomon says in a threatening tone. "I want a whole pizza to myself." Patamon says, mimicking Gatomon's glare, he couldn't pull off the threatening tone though. "I'll take out the trout out of the freezer." Kari says and walks quickly to the fridge and takes out said fish.

Gatomon nods and alters her pose once the fish is in the sink. Patamon flies to the couch and lies on the back of it. TK sits down on the chair and Gatomon sits to his left. Kari then sits to his right; he picks up the remote and grins as he finds that Ranma ½ is on. Gatomon snorts, but doesn't make any other sound as they watch the episode. Tai's at the table, doing his homework. He enjoys just hanging out with his family and, hopefully his future brother-in-law.

(-Tai-)

He sighs as he watches Matt's dad and Takato head off towards the lake with fishing equipment. Guilmon and Calumon were cloud watching. Izzy's busy on the computer which leaves Matt and him to do something, so they decide to play chess. "You think they'll catch anything?" He asks as he moves a pawn forward. "Who knows? We got plenty of food." Matt answers and moves a pawn forward two squares.

He sighs; it wasn't that long ago that Ken created Control Spiral by trying to get Agumon to Digivolve into MetalGreymon. He had to admit that Davis surprised him that day, using the Digi Egg of Friendship to have Veemon Armour Digivolve into Raidramon. At first, they had thought that nobody could use the Digi Egg of Friendship, especially considering the fact that Davis had tried to pick the egg up with as much luck as the others.

He studies the board before him and he then moves another pawn forward a space. Matt studies the board; they've played plenty of times and know each other's strategies very well. He once more digresses into his thoughts about what happened once they freed MetalGreymon.

He thinks about Kari's run in with the Dark Ocean and about the fact that Takato trusted that TK would bring her back. He had been frantic with worry and had said some unsavoury things to Takato, whose faith proved to be valid as TK had returned with their sister. It was then that he had glimpsed what Takato had seen from the beginning. _'I guess Kari could do worst then TK. I just hope that Kari finds a way to break it to Davis that she prefers TK as her boyfriend.'_ He thinks in amusement. He does get the feeling that Davis knew, but was just trying to make sure that TK's worthy of Kari.

'_Just because he acts dumb doesn't mean he is. He's growing up and I guess Takato's observation is true. Davis just needed life experiences to settle him down. I wonder who Davis will find once he gets over the remnants of his crush on my baby sister. Maybe I should introduce him to some girls once we're through with saving the Digital World and the real world.'_ He thinks as Matt makes his move.

"So, what's on your mind?" His best friend asks. "Just thinking about helping Davis find a girlfriend that will help heal the wounds of his crush on my sister." He tells Matt. "He's kind of easy to read, once you get to know him." Matt agrees. "I wonder what TK's reaction will be when Davis tells him he has his approval to date Kari." He muses. "I would pay good money to see my little brother's face when that happens." Matt admits then the music star motions for him to make his move.

He studies the board for about a minute and then moves a pawn forward. Matt just shakes his head, but doesn't say anything as the blond thinks about what his next move will be. He sits back and studies the board, for going his internal review of what's happened since Ken entered the Digital World to now.

After about an hour, he cheers as he check mates Matt's king. As they clear the board, Takato and Mr. Ishida comes walking into camp. Takato's holding about six fish while the adult has about one. Guilmon perks up and cries, "Takatomon! Yea, fish!" Takato groans and says, "I'm not a mon, boy." "I know." Guilmon chirps and Takato just sighs as he shakes his head in wonderment. "I can't believe he admitted that." Takato says out loud, clearly in disbelief at hearing his partner admit that he knows that Takato's not a Digimon, but still likes to call him Takatomon.

"I can't believe you caught so many fish." He says, changing the subject. "I'll take those and gut them for you Takato." Matt's dad says and Takato hands them to the only adult with them. Takato heads off to wash his hands and Guilmon follows after his partner. Calumon heads to where Mr. Ishida headed off to.

He sighs and puts his head on his arms that on the picnic table. Matt gets up and goes grabs a book he's been reading, leaving alone with his thoughts. _'Where was I? Ok, Ken created Control Spirals and Kari had a run in with the Dark Ocean, we seem to be dealing with a lot of dark things recently… Then there's that time where Yolei received the Digi Egg of Sincerity at that dinner where Joe and Matt were forced to work at. I wonder how Mimi got to the Digital world, Izzy must have been working on something plus it's the first time I heard about other kids partnered up with Digimon from some place that's not Japan.'_ He muses as he blinks as Takato comes back with his scrap book and sits down on the grass and begins to sketch something with Guilmon sitting to Takato's right.

He smiles slightly as he remembers the portrait that his adopted brother made for him, with the ghosts of Agumon's other evolutions in the background. He sighs as he's reminded about their encounter with Wizardmon's ghost at the station that Mr. Ishida works at. It has been a sobering experience, encountering Gatomon's best friend while she had been Myotismon's slave.

'_Which leads us to why we're here, they need to spend time in the Digital World without worrying their families. I just hope that things don't get too out of hand. I would be happier if Takato decided to go with them though.'_ He thinks to himself as he stares at his little brother. As he continues to stare at Takato, Izzy's computer beeps after Mr. Ishida got a fire going and put all of the fish on a camping grill.

He gets up and stands behind Izzy with Matt and Takato stand to either side of him. "An E-mail from Kari, it seems they found Ken's base, only it vanished. Also Hawkmon got injured too, so they split up." Izzy summarizes. He frowns and sighs, he glances at Takato from the corner of his eye. Takato's frowning and seems to be thinking about something too. He puts a hand on Takato's shoulder, wondering if the true reason why Takato doesn't want to go into the Digital World might be cause he's scared that someone will do the same thing that DeathXDorugoramon had done, take him to another dimension and beat the crap out of him.

After a few seconds of thinking about it, he kind of admits that Takato might have a valid reason why not to head into the Digital World. He didn't want to lose his adopted brother before he has to. He stands up straight and puts a hand on Takato's shoulder. Takato's startled by his movement, but then smiles at him and he returns that smile.

They then headed towards the fire, Guilmon and Calumon were busy 'oh'ing and 'ah'ing at fire. Takato pauses, his eyes become distant and Guilmon and Calumon look off into the distances. "What's wrong?" Matt asks, he frowns and Guilmon says, "I think its Beelzemon." "I think your right, boy." Takato says softly. He stiffens and glances around in alert.

"You mean that mega that deleted Leomon? The one from your story?" Izzy asks. "He's also the one that warned us that someone's after Takato." He mutters. A fierce wind blows and something shimmers into existence. "Beelzemon…" Takato says as the tall biker Digimon become solid. "You really pulled a growth spurt, huh Goggle Head? It's been what, four days since I visited?" The Demon Lord asks. "It's been four years for us." Takato admits and the mega looks startled.

The three eyed biker frowns and studies them one by one, until his gaze lands on him. "I remember you; you're that Agumon's Tamer." The biker murmurs to more to himself. "We're Digidestined, not Tamers." He corrects the Demon Lord. "Destine or Tamer, you're partner's a Digimon, right?" Beelzemon says, waving his hand in dismissal.

He glances over at Matt, Izzy, and finally at Mr. Ishida. "We noticed some dimensional activity a few days back; I guess you survived the encounter?" Beelzemon asks. "At first it had been a DeathXDorugoramon, then he transformed into a DeathXmon. Also, does the name GranDracmon ring any bells with you?" Takato asks. "GranDracmon, huh?" Beelzemon says, frowning. "Only that he's a mega that's said to be invincible." Beelzemon admits. "Then why is he after me? And do you know if Rika and them are safe?" Takato asks. Beelzemon studies Takato for a second before answering slowly. "We've located where they are, but we don't have the man power to go in and get them." The biker not answering the first question about what this mega would want with Takato.

"I think we can help, we are partnered with Digimon." He says the last bit dryly. Matt and Izzy look startled and glance at him. "I mean, we number like eleven with three of us able to go mega." He says. "And the others?" Beelzemon asks. "Up to ultimate." He says, kind of lying about Davis, Cody, and Yolei's Digivolutions. Beelzemon nods slowly with a thoughtful look on his face. "That might work, I'll inform Yamiki about this development." The biker says and then adds, "Just be careful, Takato. Whatever this guy's planning, it's not good and I'll wager that Rika will be pissed if you get captured." Takato just sighs and the wind kicks up again and the biker says before fading away, "See ya in two days, Goggle Head."

Within a few minutes Guilmon pipes in, "I wonder if we can have pig's feet later." They all chuckle, happy that someone was able to break the uncomfortable silence. "Don't laugh, he's for real." Takato says and he snort in surprise, he looks at Takato and searches his adopted brother's face, wondering if Takato's pulling his leg or not. "You're kidding, right?" Matt asks. "Nope, he had some when we visited my cousin Kai. They were also serving pig's ears too." Takato says thoughtfully. "Were they good?" Izzy asks Guilmon and the rookie only smiles in reply.

To be continued …


	10. Kindness to Strangers

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 10

They stare up at the monstrous Digimon before them; she shivers as she looks at where their partners are laying. "Kari!" A familiar voice shouts and a familiar attack hits Kimeramon in the chest, oddly enough, the ultimate roars in pain from Guilmon's Pryo Sphere. "Takato!" She shouts out in relief.

Kimeramon use Heat Viper, Guilmon is sent flying but the red rookie picks himself up. "Digimodify! Power activate!" Takato says once he finishes swiping a card. "Pryo Sphere!" Guilmon says and the attack knocks Kimeramon off balance. Guilmon follows that attack up with his Rock Breaker attack. They snap out of it and grab their partners and backed away. They were surprised at that Guilmon's able to battle the missed matched Digimon without Digivolving.

All around them were ruin buildings; they stood about eight feet behind Takato before the yellow goggle wearing preteen calls Guilmon back. Guilmon lets go of Kimeramon's bony arm and trots behind them as they head out of the city. They turn back after running for about five minutes, it appears that the ultimate Digimon is departing they ruined city as well.

"I thought he'd be stronger…" Takato mutters to himself. Guilmon hums his agreement and they just shake their heads. "So that was Digimodifying?" Davis asks, she blinks as she remembers that it's the new members' first time witnessing Takato swiping a card through his D-Ark. _'It's on thing to be told about it and another to witness it.'_ She muses as they continue to trek onwards. "Yea, that's what Digimodifying is." Takato says which is answering Davis's early question as they continue to move through the undergrowth.

"So you're with us from now on?" TK asks. "Actually, we couldn't get a hold of you guys so I kind of ended up being volunteered to get you to safety." Takato admits. "Who would volunteer you?" Cody asks, they were all confused as well. "Guilmon auctioned off his and mine services for three donuts, a case of soda, and for a whole week Matt making him his 'special' curry." Takato sighs and they all open their mouths, but nothing came out. "I like spicy food." Guilmon says simply and Takato sighs. "Only because Matt made it for supper last night and topped it off with peanut butter." Takato murmurs.

They all made faces at the idea of curry topped off with peanut butter. "Take sounds good." Veemon pipes in, revealing that he's now awake. "Digimon have stomachs of steel, I think at times." Takato remarks. "I tried eating steel once, I couldn't take bite a chunk off." Guilmon says thoughtfully. "Who made that suggestion?" Takato asks in a calm voice. "Impmon asked if I could eat the bars of my cage. That was before the Devas appeared though." Guilmon replies and Takato's head slumps over forward. "I should have known." Takato says in an exhausted sounding voice.

They all chuckle at that, until Veemon asks, "You meet you can't eat metal?" They all look at the blue dragon Digimon and stare at the rookie, making the dragon type uncomfortable. "Um, sorry?" Veemon asks, clearly nervous about all the attention he's receiving. They all shake their heads and continue on their way towards the spot where a TV is located.

They stop before the TV and she gives Takato and Guilmon a hug, she then returns to where her partner is standing and Yolei asks, "What was the reason you guys were trying to get a hold of us, by the way?" "You each received a long E-Mail that Izzy sent; you just didn't have the alert on. Mostly, some of the other Digimon are planning to get the floating base to crash somewhere and you need to be at those coordinates to sneak onto the base while Ken's busy trying to get it back into the air." Takato tells them and then Guilmon and him disappear in a beam of light.

They sigh and then they each take out their D-Terminals and check their index. She smiles as she reads the E-Mail that Izzy sent them, pretty much what Takato had summarized to them. Patamon gasps and they look around and find some cooked fish under some plastic paper. There's a note telling them that they deserve a break. She touches the camera around her neck, then taking a firm hold of it; she snaps a picture of the fish and a few more later on at the other Digidestine interacting with their partners. She wonders whether Ken as a Digimon partner and how that partner must feel about what Ken's been up too…

(-Takato-)

He glances down at the water, his fishing pole resting besides him lure and all. He's nervous, a part of him wants him to march into the Digital World and save Wormmon from sacrificing his life so that Magnamon has the power to defeat Kimeramon, but another part points out that Wormmon has to be allowed to do that, to help open Ken's eyes. _'To open his heart…'_ He sighs and lies on his back, staring up into the sky, cursing the fact that he was sent to this reality, to grow up with the real life characters of his favourite cartoon show of all times.

He watches the clouds float gently by, knowing that despite the fact he knows that this will prepare them to face off against their future enemies, he would rather change the course of events then to let them harm Kari, Tai, TK, and the others. "What you looking at?" Calumon asks, he turns his head in that direction and finds Calumon standing a bit away from his head. "Just the clouds, Calumon, just the clouds." He tells the in-training Digimon.

Calumon sits down and he returns to staring up into the sky. "Where's Guilmon?" He asks after a few minutes. "Sleeping." Calumon says simply. "I guess he's out of his sugar rush then." He says, not wanting to even think about a hyper active Guilmon on a sugar high. Calumon hums his agreement. "I miss the others, Takato. When will we see them again?" Calumon asks. He blinks slightly out of surprise and answers, "In two year's time. When I'm fourteen."

"I never knew humans Digivolve so oddly." Calumon says innocently. He chuckles and can picture Henry and Rika's reaction to that statement. "We humans call it growing up." He says in an amused tone. "I never knew you humans changed so like over time, you really are different then Digimon, huh?" Calumon asks. He almost chokes on that and asks, "You're just beginning to realise this now?" "Well, yea." Calumon admits and he howls with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Izzy asks as he comes walking towards the spot. "Calumon just admitted that he just realised that humans are very different then Digimon." He manages to get out before erupting in gales of laughter. Izzy just groans and says, "I spent hours explaining the differences and he just gets it now?" He nods, not being able to say anything at the moment. "What's so funny about that?" Calumon asks, totally clueless. He just waves his hand, trying to dismiss the question from the air as if it was written and could be erased by waving his hand at it. "I still don't get it." Calumon mutters before lying on the ground face first, soon he can hear soft snorts coming from the catalyst of Digivolution for his home dimension.

He gets up and gently picks up the Digimon once he's done laughing. He smiles at the in-training Digimon, looking at the lake once more. Izzy left before he gained control over his laughter. "Thanks for lightening my mood, Calumon." He says softly, eyes flickering down at the Digimon and then back at the lake.

(-TK-)

He puts a comforting arm around Kari's shoulders as they watch Ken mourn for his partner, Wormmon. Soon Ken picks himself up and just before the preteen leaves, Davis walks forward and tells Ken something, they were to far to hear what and Davis might have said it softly too. Ken nods slightly and then continues to walk away. He glances at the base, suddenly has this killer urge to destroy it.

He shakes his head, telling himself that now that Ken's not the Digimon Emperor, the base will disappear on its own. After a few minutes, they too head off in search of a TV that will teleport them to the camp site. For once, they didn't land in a dog pile and Izzy says, "I guess Gennai did fix it. I just thought that Takato's a special case since he has a D-Ark instead of a D-3."

Tai asks, "Don't want to talk about it? We did bring some extra sleeping begs, they're by the van. I'll go get them." Matt goes to help Tai with retrieving them. He looks around and notices that his dad, Takato, Calumon, and Guilmon weren't around. He finds the ones that Tai and them must have been using.

He picks one and finds some shade and uses it like a pillow. Patamon settles on his chest and he closes his eyes. Exhaustion overtakes him and he falls into a dreamless sleep.

)-(

He blinks as he and gets up as he notices how dark it is. He looks to where Patamon is and then stands up once he spots a camp fire. He looks around and finds the other Digidestine were still fast asleep. His stomach growls and he puts a hand over it and looks sheepishly, wondering where Takato and the others were.

He sits down and blinks as Guilmon comes into the clearing with more wood in his arms. Takato walking behind the big rookie and once the goggle wearing preteen notices him, he says, "Hey TK, sleep well?" He smiles and nods as he says, "Yea, it was pretty intense." Takato and Guilmon put the wood in their arms on the ground and sit down. "Where's my dad and them?" He asks. "Trying to catch supper, they don't seem to be having any luck though." Takato says in amusement and Guilmon nods.

After a few minutes, he asks, "Is Calumon helping them?" Takato chuckles and then replies, "He's trying to tickle them to put the hooks into their open mouths." He raises an eyebrow and asks, "Then what are we eating if they don't catch any fish?" "I called for take out." Takato tells him. "They'll be showing up in forty minutes or it's free." Takato adds lightly. "What did you order?" He asks. "Lets see I believe I ordered three buckets of KFC chicken, two salads, four boxes of French fries, three 2 litre Pepsi, and five of their McCain desserts." The other preteen says and he whistles at how much food that Takato ordered. "That's a lot, how much did it come out to?" He asks. Takato just shrugs and says, "I don't think you want to know."

He doesn't say anything and after a while, the other Digidestine wake and joins them around the camp fire. As the Digimon wake, his dad and the others come crashing towards them, he smiles widely as he notices that Matt and his dad were soaked. "I saved the fishes!" Calumon says proudly as the white Digimon comes their way, the others just shot the in-training Digimon dirty looks, his brother moves his hand through his wet hair, trying to spike it in his usual way.

"Well our plans for supper are shot." Tai sighs. "What are we going to eat? I'm hungry?" DemiVeemon asks. "I don't know." His dad says and just as the others were about to make suggestions, a car pull up and the man comes towards them and asks, "Is there a Takato Kamiya here?" "That's me." Takato says and gets up, a credit card in hand. The driver looks relieved and Takato walks over, the driver ignores their partners and soon the food is paid for, Davis and him get up and help Takato bring the food to the picnic table.

"Geeze, you think you bought enough?" Davis asks as they put the paper bags onto the table. "Food!" DemiVeemon and Calumon shout as they come running up to the table, rearing to eat. They battle the hungry Digimon as they open the bags with Tai and Izzy bring cups, plates, and plastic forks and knives. The Digimon pile a lot of fried chicken as they can on their plates, most of them Digivolved into their rookie forms so they can get their plate full, which kind of leaves the salads, some of the chicken, and the fries for their human partners, though Guilmon did take off with a box of fries.

Soon all of the meal was gone, leaving the deserts that Takato had ordered for them to eat. Yolei took charge and fiercely slapped hungry hands from touching the chocolate deserts with a spoon. Soon they're all cut and Kari helps by handing them out while Yolei continues to defend the rest of the deserts, Gatomon glared challenges at any Digimon that looked ready to take the plates from Kari, the others had backed off, though Guilmon only sent pleading look at the young preteen and received his before any of the Digimon had, Gatomon had been second.

Soon they all received their portions, though the Digimon got larger portions then their human partners. Once more they sat around the fire, Cody and Izzy clearing up the garbage. His dad poking the fire and adding wood to the fire when needed, he stares into the fire, remembering another fire, a fire light by a fire ball and located on a rocky island. He remembers the feel of Gabumon's fur and later the sound of his brother's harmonica. He smiles at those memories of other nights spent around other fires, in that alien world known as the Digital World.

"I miss this." He says. "Miss what?" Matt asks. "I missed just sitting around a fire with my friends." He explains. "Oh…" Matt and Tai said at the same time. He looks around the group before he glances to where Patamon and the other Digimon were. Matt puts a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezes it slightly. He smiles at his brother, happy just to be sitting with Matt and spending time with him.

Soon they began to drift off, collecting their sleeping bags and taking them into the cabin. He watches as Takato and Kari headed off together, his eyes staring at the back of Kari's head. Takato turns around and grins as the preteen notices that he's staring, he blushes and looks away. His brother chuckles and after a few minutes says, "Night, kiddo. And for the record, I think the two of you will make a great couple." He blushes even harder as Matt walks away, his father looking amused as well.

"You know son, I do believe I agree with your brother on this." His dad says and Davis nods in agreement, which startled him. "She likes you too, man. I mean, you just seem to complete her." Davis says. He almost had a heart attack. "Takato didn't put you up to this, did he?" He asks. Davis's eyes flash in amusement. "Takato isn't the type to do that, you should know that." Davis replies and he just sighs. He didn't really know what to say or processed. He gets up and nods to his dad and to Davis before leaving the campfire. He takes a sleeping bag and heads off to where Matt went, he finds Matt, Izzy, and Tai sleeping within a certain feet of each other and then he lies down about four feet away from Matt's feet. He opens up the sleeping bag and crawls between the coverings. He moves onto his side and after about five minutes, he finally fell asleep.

(-Tai-)

He shakes his head as Jun, Davis's older sister, pulls Matt away from the van. The van changes gears and they're soon on the road, leaving the musical inclined blond to take the bus with Jun. He glances around at the others; it seems that Davis is already nodding off while TK seems to gazing off into space, clearly lost in his own thoughts. Izzy talking in low tones with Cody and Yolei and finally his two siblings weren't doing much, just looking out the window closest to them.

He turns back to the road; he's sitting in the front seat, by Matt and TK's dad. Oddly enough, Calumon's with him, resting on his lap and he kind of wished it was Koromon sitting there. Calumon's currently humming along with the song on the radio, looking out the front window. He glances out the window to his right, wondering just who they had to face now that Ken's no longer calling himself the Digimon Emperor. He just sighs and decides that it didn't matter right now, he just happy that they didn't have to worry about Control Spires, dark rings, and control spirals. He settles in and lets the motion of the van lulu him to sleep.

(-Takato-)

He kicks a rock off the sidewalk. He glances around casually, studying his surrounds as best as he could without alerting his stalker. It's December and he has known about his stalker since BlackWarGreymon came into existence. He frowns and stares off into space, images of the mega's demise playing through his mind's eye.

'_That's a coming up though, in January.'_ He thinks to himself, trying to find comfort that those events are not happening anytime soon. The events of the Destiny Stones were over, but that means that the World Tour is coming up, within four more days to be exact. He wonders if he should help round up those stray Digimon or stick around and follow the man possessed by Myotismon, Owikawa.

He pause and glance to his right, he frowns and begins to wonder if he should have taken Gatomon up on her offer of help. He glances around, once he's satisfied, he says in a low voice, "Come out, you've been following me for some time now. I want to know who it is I'm dealing with." The dense bare bushes rustle and out steps a small child Digimon that's commonly known as Petitmamon. He notices the staff and realises this one is a male.

The rookie virus glances around and then says, "I don't know what's so special about you! I don't see why Lord GranDracmon would even want you! I can see why he would want your partner though…" He raises an eyebrow at that for he's surprised that the rookie thought so little of him. "I'm sure your master would enjoy hearing that. Why don't you go and report your opinion of the solution then?" He says in a sceptical tone. The rookie flinches, most likely imagining his master's reaction of what would happen to him.

"I thought as much. Now, why don't you run along home? I've known you've been following me since the creation of BlackWarGreymon." He notices how the little rookie flinched at the fact he had known the little rookie had been stalking him. "So there really isn't a reason for you to be here." He finishes. "Then I'll just have to take you in myself! You don't have your partner around to protect you!" The virus shouts as he points a finger at him.

He sighs and dodges the Petitmamon's attempts of tackling him. Then the rookie tries to use his staff by trying to whack his legs with it. He does something really uncharacteristic of him, he punches the Digimon on the head, not too hard but hard enough to leave a bump. "You might be a Digimon, but I am taller then you and experienced enough to evade your attacks. So why don't you just walk away from this encounter? I doubt you want to confront with any of mine and my friend's partners and you will, if you keep following me around. I'm sure that you can't get into too much trouble, after all, I'm the human that GranDracmon thinks is special, it's not your job to capture me." He tells the rookie as the little Digimon rubs his bump.

The Digimon ponders this and then shouts as he points an accusatory finger at him, "Ha! You're just afraid that I'll learn your weakness and that I'd report it to my master!" The Digimon crosses his arms in front of his chest and says stubbornly, "You can't get rid of me that easy!" He sighs and mutters, "You remind me a little too much of Impmon." Then he says in a louder voice, "Fine, I'll ask the Digimon not to attack you on sight, but if you attack them, they have every right to defend themselves. So consider yourself warned." He then turns away from the little Digimon and walks away, knowing that in a bit, the rookie will once more be stalking him. He wonders just how much like Impmon that Petitmamon will turn out to be. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, wondering what Gigimon's reaction will be to Petitmamon's presence. _'I hope that Petitmamon doesn't try to take Gigimon, I just know that will end badly for the little guy.'_ He thinks as he heads to the mall to do some last minute shopping, after all, just because the little guy is working for the enemy doesn't mean that he feels comfortable about letting that rookie freeze in this weather.

(-Kari-)

"You know, he stopped making an effort to hide himself." She tells Takato as they walk through the streets to Ken's party. "I know, but he's so determined to continue following me." Her adopted brother says. "You would have gotten rid of him sooner if you hadn't given him that sweater and toque to help him stay warm." Gatomon says from her jacket, her head poking out of the zipper. "I just couldn't let him freeze." Takato says defensively. She nods in agreement with her adopted brother's reasoning. Gatomon just sighs and shakes her head, clearly not liking the fact that Takato had asked the Digimon not to delete the small humanoid virus Digimon that works for GranDracmon, the mega who wants Takato for some odd reason.

She really did agree with Takato's decision to let the rookie be, for the little Petitmamon hadn't really attacked anyone or their partners. Tai and Matt were all for offing the Digimon, if only to buy them time from a battle that most likely will happen once GranDracmon's minions receive enough information to plan an ambush to capture her adopted brother. The others kind of trusted Takato's handling of the problem and that's that, for they have a lot on their plate and they don't know what's next now that BlackWarGreymon isn't going after Destiny Stones.

They soon reached the apartments that Ken's family lived in. They didn't even need to knock as the door opened within a second they stood before it, Mrs Ichijouji shooed them into the living room, taking their coats as they took off their shoes. They found the others sitting around, playing cards with hot coco at hand. "Hey, Kari! Takato!" Davis says as they sit down, her adopted brother sitting between Davis and TK as she sits between TK and Cody. Her DNA Digivolving partner nods at her and the present that Takato brought lies against the wall. She glances at it, knowing that Ken will like what Takato brought.

Soon they're included into the Go Fish; Ken had to add another deck of cards so they have enough cards to play with. After 7:30, Takato got up and handed the slim gift to the Digidestine of Kindness. Ken protested but the others wanted to know what Takato had wrapped up. Ken reluctantly unwraps the gift and looks startled at the picture that's framed. "I thought you'd like it, I thought this one is slightly more to your tastes then that other one I drew." The yellow goggle wearing preteen says. Ken nods and shows the others by flipping it.

The picture was of Ken staring up into the night sky with Wormmon by his side and a hand draped on the green rookie's back. The moon is bright and Ken's covered in moonlight, the location was on a cliff with some trees behind the pair. You can make out Stingmon in the rocks that the pair are sitting on, if you know what to look for though. The others congratulate Takato for making it; she had to admit that Takato has gotten better at using an airbrush.

"I don't know what to say, it's a really great picture." Ken says softly. Takato just smiles and replies, "Thanks; I'm really getting a handle on using that airbrush. I think Izzy wants me to learn how to use Photo Shop so I can post my pictures on the Internet." Before they could settle down and continue playing Go Fish, Mrs Ichijouji appears telling them that someone's on the phone for Takato and her. Takato looks out the window as she gets up to take the phone from Ken's mother.

(-TK-)

He sighs as he looks around the street; Tai seems impatient for his grandfather to arrive. Agumon and Patamon were content to wait patiently by their sides. He still can't believe that the unknown master of those two ultimates, Mummymon and Arukenimon, could open up so many gate ways around the world within a course of a night.

None of them had liked leaving Takato behind, not with the prospect of those minions of GranDracmon could use this event to try and capture his friend. Takato had informed them that they wouldn't be any real help, since Guilmon could go feral and accidentally delete the Digimon that they were suppose to be rounding up. They kind of had to agree, since that's what Takato and Guilmon use to do, they're responsible for defending the real world against rogue Digimon that enter into the real world. So Takato and Guilmon wished them luck as they were beamed into the plateform on Imperialdramon's back.

He perks as he hears a sound of a motor coming their way. "Grandpa." He says as his grandfather stops before them. "TK! Good to see you again. Come, let us go." His grandfather says, passing out helmets to Tai and him. He climbs on behind his grandfather as Tai climbs into the side car with Agumon and Patamon. Soon they're on their way, riding off towards the Control Spire.

(-Takato-)

He sighs as he notices how effective the pair of ultimates were at recruiting those children that were destine to carry those clone spores. They only grab the exact number that he remember them grabbing during the cartoon show. He had to shake his head, he wondered how the pair could miss the fact that they're been followed by not just by Gigimon and him, but by Petitmamon.

'_Well it's official, they suck at detecting stalkers. Or they don't expect to be stalked now that the Digidestine are busy.'_ He thinks as he sits on the top of some jungle gym bars. Gigimon hiding in his jacket's hood, he's checking his D-Ark as the little virus attempts to swing on the swings. He sighs and wonders if GranDracmon's minions will join in the free for all that's going to be happening by tomorrow night.

As he observes Petitmamon, he doubts that the rookie's reported anything to his superiors since the little guy's obviously trying to find his weak spot by keeping a non-stop watch on him. _'He's determined, I'll give him that.'_ He thinks to himself as he pockets his D-Ark. "Takatomon, can we eat now?" Gigimon asks, the little guy's stomach growls, echoing his statement. He smiles and says, "Ok, we'll find you something to eat. How's a sandwich sound?" Gigimon cheers and he swings down off the bars. He heads off in the direction he spotted a grocery store, Petitmamon following about four feet behind him, a new record since the virus usually follow about six feet behind him.

He buys a few sandwiches, knowing that Gigimon will get hungry before they head home. He also buys something for himself as well. As he's about to pay, Petitmamon tugs at his jacket holding a chocolate bar, looking at him with puppy dog eyes. He sighs and takes the bar from the rookie and adds it to his items. Once outside, he hands it back and says, "You know, you really aren't cut out for working for this GranDracmon."

The little Digimon puffs up and asks, "Well, what do you know!" He chuckles and he replies, "One might consider taking things from one's victim is a form of bribery." Petitmamon shifts uncomfortably, clearly out of his depths. "Nobody's ever been …" Petitmamon trails off. "Nice?" He supplies and the rookie nods in agreement.

He looks thoughtful before asking, "You can go to my home world, right?" Petitmamon nods, unsure what he's going to ask of him. "Could you possibly take something to my real parents? I just want to reassure them that I'm fine." He tells the rookie, Petitmamon looks stunned at his request. Then the rookie nods after thinking it over, finished devouring the chocolate bar. He smiles in relief and says, "Thank you, Petitmamon. It really means a lot to me."

They head off to the library; he had a pad of paper with him. It doesn't take long for him to finish his letter. He folds it and then hands it to the rookie virus. "Thanks for doing this, Petitmamon. I hope you don't get into too much trouble for doing this." He says and Petitmamon just waves off his concerns. "Maybe I was wrong, back when I said you won't special." Was what Petitmamon says before disappearing in a swirl of black wind. He sighs and hopes that Petitmamon doesn't regret taking that letter to his parents. _'Be careful, Petitmamon. I don't want you to get into trouble on my behalf.'_ He thinks as he walks out of the library with Gigimon resting in his hood.

To be continued …


	11. Holiday Duals

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 11

He frowns as he watches the TV. He had been busy dealing with Sethmon and a small unit of champion Digimon known as Vilemon. He glances to Guilmon, who's standing to his left. "I guess we couldn't do everything." He admits as he watches as the large Devimon type Digimon get rammed into the hospital building. It would be the first time that the new Digidestine would be forced to delete Digimon, not trapping them, not trying to get rid of controlling devices, but forcing them to break apart and to become particles of data.

He wonders if Guilmon and him were powerful enough to take on Deamon in his other form. He discards that thought; they really don't need to go around picking fights with powerful Digimon. They had enough to worry about then Kari and them sending Deamon into the Dark Ocean. Sethmon had mentioned that there was another roaming around in the city that also served GranDracmon, which means that Guilmon and him were hunting around for this servant of this mysterious mega that wishes to process him.

"The trail's getting cold Takato." Guilmon comments and he nods. He motions for Guilmon to lead on and they soon head away from the vacant street, hopefully getting closer to where this Digimon is within the city. According Guilmon's nose, they're looking for a feline type Digimon, he wonders just what kind of feline they're going to encounter.

Guilmon then pauses and begins to sniff around the area within four feet, then Guilmon growls slightly, meaning it's a fresh scent that his partner picked up. Guilmon picks up the pace, not running too far ahead since it appears that he's the target. They end up in front of a theatre, one of those that had stages plays. Guilmon nods as he looks questionably at his partner, he sighs and opens the door.

The door opens and they watch as the door stops as it bounces off the wall. There's little light as he leads the way inside, he's kind of surprise at Guilmon's restraint, usually the large rookie would be far up ahead, already glimpsing the Digimon while he trails behind. They glance around, he notices some grown men knocked out and laid out on the ground. He checks them for their pulse and is relieved to find that they're fine.

Some of the lights turned on and some music started up. He just sighs and wonders just how many horror movies this Digimon has seen. They headed towards the only place where the Digimon could be. As they entered the auditorium, a stage light turns on and a platform rises up with a figure on it. He holds up his D-Ark and soon a hologram of Digimon appeared.

**Bastemon**

Ultimate level Digimon

Virus attribute

Animal type. Attacks are Vampire Dance and Helter Skelter

He frowns as he lowers his D-Ark. His other hand moves to his card deck, his partner moves to stand before him and the Digimon named after an Egyptian cat Goddess. The cat Digimon seems to smirk and twirls a cane around before taking a comical stance.

"So this is the great Tamer that my lord and master wishes be brought to him." Bastemon says as she leaps gracefully down off the stage. As the ultimate walks towards them, his partner and best friend tenses up. "I'd keep back if I were you! We're not to be trifled with." He says, not really wanting to battle but knows that it's inevitable.

The humanoid cat Digimon seems to stop about seventeen feet away, looking amused at him; though the few looks she sent Guilmon's away showed that she would have preferred not to be facing off against the large red and black rookie. He could tell that Guilmon also sensed this and began scratching the floor with his claws on his right paw. This causes the dust to stir and drift in the air before settling back down, but Bastemon seemed to expect his best friend to attack once he preformed this action.

He frowns, not too sure why Bastemon got that impression, but he doubts the ultimate virus would tell him anything about her reactions. "I don't suppose that if we offered you a fish, you'd just up and leave, huh?" He asks, reluctant for the battle to begin, besides, all villains and heroes are suppose to chat before the actual fight, right? _'Maybe I just watched one too many cartoons and read too many manga.'_ He thinks to himself as Bastemon scuffs at the offer.

"You can't offer me the amount even if you had the money." Bastemon replies. "And it's not worth getting punished for taking a bride either, huh?" He mutters, but the ultimate hears him and the Digimon's ears twist backwards, showing her displeasement with that statement. He shifts uncomfortably under her glare, while not as bad as Rika's usual glare, it was still coming from a Digimon that could easily snap his neck under five minutes if it were just the two of them. Luckily, it wasn't just Bastemon and himself, but Bastemon, Guilmon, and himself.

"I'll eat her fishies!" Guilmon chirps in and he slaps his forehead. "She refused the fish, Guilmon. Also, I don't have fish on me." He tells his best friend, forgetting that their guest for a moment. "As warm as this is, I am here to take him," Bastemon thumbs in his direction, "To my lord and master, GranDracmon. So let's get this fight done with so I can leave with his unconscious body." Bastemon finishes saying and moves forward, towards with the intent to redeem unconscious.

Guilmon evades the fist and counters with his Rock Breaker. His partner gets her in the other arm and then the cat type kicks his best friend under the chin, sending Guilmon through the air. Guilmon lands on his feet, he moves away so that he doesn't get in either of their way. From Guilmon's mouth erupts a ball of fire and it hits Bastemon in the chest, the cat Digimon clutches her chest as she sends death glares at his partner and best friend. "That… was unexpected. I wasn't expecting you to be this strong… You're still just a rookie and yet, you hurt me, if slightly. Truly, you're a credit to your breed." Bastemon says, before she then straightens up, he's busy thinking over what she had just said to pay much attention to what's going on between his best friend and Bastemon.

'_I created Guilmon, so what does she mean by 'credit to your breed'? Does that mean that there could be… Or are other Guilmons out there? If so, is that why GranDracmon knows about Megidramon? Some of these other Guilmons must have Digivolved into that demon mega. Also, what about Gallantmon? Could some of them have Digivolved into him? If so, then… did I really create Guilmon? If I hadn't then how did I come across his plans?'_ He thinks to himself. He's not sure what to make of all of this just yet.

He blinks as Bastemon lands within four feet before him. He looks around and ducks behind some rumble as he noticed Guilmon getting ready to use his Pyro Sphere. An explosion occurs and he hears Bastemon growl in irritation. "I'm beginning to tire of this." Bastemon snarls. He looks out from his hiding place to see Bastemon slash at Guilmon with her claws extended.

He shakes his head before pulling out his cards. He picks on and slashes it through his D-Ark. "Digimodify! Raiamon's Critical Strike activate!" He says softly. "Critical Strike!" Guilmon roars and the attack hits Bastemon head on, as the ultimate flies through the air, he notices how she kind of phases slightly before becoming solid again. He whence as Bastemon lands hard on the chairs, pushing them as she rams her way to part of the roof which stops her.

Bastemon coughs after two minutes of a pause in the fighting. He had swiped through a healing card and Guilmon looks much better for it. It takes a bit before Bastemon to stand up, even if she's leaning on the piece of roof rumble to help hold her up. He could tell that the battle has taken much out of the goddess named Digimon. She's breathing deeply and seemed like she's about to fall over with the slight touch. He can tell that her eyes were staring at his partner, most likely cursing the fact that he just helped Guilmon heal up while she's suffering from her injuries.

He smiles slightly, satisfied that Guilmon had everything in hand. _'Or paw… claw?'_ He pockets his card deck and studies the surrounding area, he groans as he notices how much damage has been done to the theatre. "I'm so glad we don't have to pay for the damages." He says to himself softly. He shivers and looks to find Bastemon looking at him with a thoughtful look. Then the ultimate smirks and says before vanishing, "You win this time, but I'll be back."

He sighs and Guilmon relaxes as his partner looks innocently about the ruined room. "Can we go home now and eat?" His best friend and partner asks. "Yes, we can go home now." He says lightly, picking his way through the rumble as he heads out of the theatre. He wonders just who's going to take the fall for the destruction caused from the battle between the two.

He glances back only once more before Guilmon glows and transforms into Gigimon. He picks up the in-training Digimon and holds the red Digimon at shoulder level and then Gigimon stands on his shoulder before diving into his hood. He smiles and continues on toward the bus stop, thoughts about what Bastemon had said temporally gone from his mind and will return as that night, lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling of the room.

(-Kari-)

She throws her adopted brother concerned glances as they followed one of the children that have a clone Dark Spore in their neck. It's been two days since they sent Deamon to the Dark Ocean and they've been trying to learn more about Oikawa as they observe the children that he had embedded clone Dark Spores into.

"Ok, spill, what's wrong." She finally says, she had to wonder just what's gotten under Takato's skin. Takato's eyes flash in surprise and ask, "I'm that transparent am I?" Then Takato frowns as he looks off into the distance. "Bastemon said and I quote, 'you're a credit to your breed' end quote. I can't help but wonder if that means that there are other Guilmons out there. DeathXDorugoramon mentioned Megidramon, which implies that there are other ways that the demon dragon can come about, but I think Megidramon is more naturally part of Guilmon's evolution then any other Digimon species. That means that I might not have created Guilmon, but might have stumbled across his designs." Takato says, staring off into the distance as he tells them this.

She notices that Gigimon looking kind of bummed out. She couldn't see her partner's reaction and she's doesn't really know what to say to comfort her brother. "Or maybe, they come about when you created him." Gatomon says, surprising her as much as Takato. "Huh?" Takato says, dumbly. "I mean, think about it, odder things have happened. For all we know, he's the original and all the others come from his design, from you. This Digimon wants you, Takato, not your friends not anyone else from your world, just you." Gatomon say, Takato and her partner stare at each other.

Takato sighs and glances to where the kid is. "Your right, odder things have happened." Takato says then glances at her and then at Gatomon. Takato leans on the wall behind them and then sits down. "You know about how Digimon started out as a cartoon show in my reality? I didn't really elaborate on that, did I?" The preteen says. She nods as she exchanges looks with Gatomon and then glancing at Gigimon. "You want to know who I idolised from the first season of that cartoon show? It was the leader of the group, the one wearing the white goggles. His name was… is Tai Kamiya, Digidestine of Courage and partner to an Agumon that could warp Digivolve." Takato says, she freezes as she stares wide eyed at Takato. "You mean… But it can't be…" She says, Takato sends her an apologetic look.

"I didn't know how you guys would react if I told anyone, so I kept silent. I just didn't want you guys to think what you guys were doing is worthless." Takato says softly. She blinks and her anger and resentment retreat as she notices how miserable Takato looks. She sighs and glances over at Gatomon. "So… just who are we up against?" Gatomon asks, she can't read her partner's expression. "MaloMyotismon." Takato says softly. Gatomon and her bolt upright, staring at Takato with wide eyes. "But we deleted him!" Gatomon roars. Takato sighs before answering, "Oikawa opened himself up for possession as we returned to the Digital World, well that's how it happened in the cartoon." "So you knew we'd be facing him again." She says simply. Takato nods as he continues to not glance at either Gatomon or herself.

Nobody says anything for a while, she knows she's trying to wrap her mind around the fact that there's a cartoon show based on their adventures. One thing she had to wonder about, did Takato know who she has a crush on or was it from observation. After about ten minutes she asks, "Did the show ever reveal… who my crush is?" Takato looks at her, clearly surprised by the question then Takato chuckles and she blushes. "Well, did it?" She asks. "No, it didn't. Though at the end, it did show the gang as adults with their own kids. Truthfully? It mostly showed Davis's crush and that's about it. Though a lot of fans did story stories with you coupled with Davis or TK." Then Takato chuckles about something and says, "Don't tell anyone about this, but there were same sex couples that the fans did stories about." She notices Takato's eyes sparkling with laughter and she gasps in disbelief. "You don't mean… Davis and Ken?" She asks and Takato adds, "Also Davis and TK, Matt and Tai, Izzy and Joe, even Davis and Tai."

Gatomon and her chock as they stared at Takato with wide eyes. As odd as it was, she really could picture their brother and Matt together. She just sighs and touches her camera that's hanging around her neck. "I think we should check on our charge." She suggests, changing the topic away from couples before her adopted brother could bring up her crush. Takato nods and they get up off the ground, she picks up Gatomon and they head out of their hide-a-way.

(-TK-)

He bites his lower lip as he watches WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon battle it out in the sky as he rides on Pegasusmon's back as they trailed the car containing Oikawa with those two ultimates, Arukenimon and Mummymon. He turns away from the sceptical in the sky and focuses in on the vehicle they're following, even though he wishes that Takato and Guilmon weren't busy fighting Bastemon elsewhere and could be helping them with this chase or help WarGreymon talk sense into BlackWarGreymon.

Mummymon fires his gun at them, his partner dodges as the vehicle swerves and the ultimate almost loses his balance. He notices that the others blocked off the road before the vehicle and Pegasusmon pulls up as Mummymon turns around and notices the group ahead of them. He nods approvingly at the blockade as they continue to stay a meters back from the vehicle. The vehicle turns a hard left, now heading down the mountain, off roading now that they can't drive on the road.

His partner paces the vehicle to the right of it as Nefertimon is pacing the vehicle to the left while Halsmon is flying over top of the vehicle. Cody and Digmon were somewhere behind them while Stringmon and ExVeemon where heading in front of the vehicle in hopes of forcing it to stop. He frowns as a ball of purple black energy lands about four miles ahead of the van.

They recovered enough to keep the van from venturing to either the right or the left, soon out of the van Arukenimon and Oikawa roll out of the open doors, as Mummymon remains on the roof of the van. As the van flies through the air, the bandaged Digimon tries and jumps away as the van crashes in the crater that BlackGreymon's attack made. The van explodes as Nefertimon and his partner use Golden Noose on the pair that rolled out of the vehicle, Stingmon and ExVeemon DNA Digivolved into Paildramon and were ready to battle Mummymon.

While Paildramon and Mummymon battle it out, Nefertimon and Pegasusmon are already moving away as they hope to evade not just Paildramon and Mummymon's battle, but also WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon's battle. He glances back for a few seconds before glancing at the pair in the Golden Noose. He sighs and wonders if Takato's having any luck with Bastemon.

(-Takato-)

He puts his arms up across his face, the dirt clears and lowers his arms as he watches Growlmon stand once more and is already charging at Bastemon. He sighs as Bastemon dances out of Growlmon's reach; he glances around and notices that Diatrymon is getting up from the ruined wall. A quick glance to where Qilinmon had been thrown, he sighs as the winged Digimon finishes shaking the remainder of the rumble from his body, the pair of vaccine Digimon glance at each other before they launch themselves into position.

He sighs and takes out a card, it transforms into a Blue Card by the time he brings it fully out of the cloth holder. He slashes it through the slot on his D-Ark and soon Growlmon is covered in light. As the light disappears, WarGrowlmon roars out his challenge, surprising the three enemy Digimon. The three back away as his partner uses Radiation Blades, trying to hit Bastemon, then Diatrymon, and finally Qilinmon.

He sighs as he puts the now normal card back into his deck pocket. He watches as Qilinmon use one of his attacks, his partner just slashes through it with on of his blades and uses Atomic Blaster at the winged horse looking Digimon. Qilinmon was able to dodge the center of the blast, but was caught at the edge; the vaccine is sent flying into through a whole building as the blast takes the upper part of the building out.

He sighs and is just glad that they're currently in an abandoned town a few hours away from the city. Bastemon and the other two had made sure that the town's people had been scared off before sending that invitation, apparently, they understood that if they hadn't, Guilmon and himself wouldn't have come alone. That some of the Digidestine would have come along to rescue the town folk. _'Well, I think they might be regretting not having more members to help attack us. Oh well, it's not like we want them to attack us…'_ He thinks to himself as WarGrowlmon throws Diatrymon at Bastemon as the pair attempt to attack the cyborg that is his partner.

The pair can't move in time to evade his partner's Atomic Blaster. As the smoke clears, he notices that nothing remains. He glances to where Qilinmon is and sighs as he then heads into the building. After a few minutes, Guilmon joins him as they move around in the building searching for any signs of the ultimate. They find an injured white and golden marked fox with a golden earring and ring. He takes out his D-Ark and a hologram appears.

**Kudamon**

Rookie level Digimon

Vaccine attribute

Holy beast type. Attacks are Bullet Whirlwind and Exceeding Light Dash.

He sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, he glances at Guilmon, his partner and friend is busy sniffing at the rookie before them. Once the tall red rookie's done, he gives his partner and best friend a questioning glance and Guilmon shrugs. He sighs and bents over to pick up the golden marked Digimon. He sighs and motions for Guilmon to lead them out of here. His partner nods and soon walks before him as he carries the injured Digimon, not sure why Qilinmon only DeDigivolved instead of being deleted, he figures it means that out there somewhere, the rookie must have a partner. He wonders if he could somehow get Gennai to send Kudamon back to his partner, be it Tamer or Digidestine or perhaps some other name to describe those that work with Digimon in order to save the world.

(-Tai-)

He studies the white and gold bundle that Takato and Gigimon brought home. He sighs and glances to where Agumon is, his partner's sleeping on the couch. He smiles softly as he studies his partner; glad to have the dino Digimon around, though a part of him aches at that thought being separated from the Digimon sleeping on the couch. He wonders bitterly about how long the gates will remain open once they defeat Oikawa and his underlings.

'_Maybe until we rescued Takato's group of friends?'_ He thinks to himself, feeling slightly better once that thought crosses his mind. He turns away from where Kudamon is resting; Takato had set the rookie up on a pillow and put that pillow on the counter. He turns as Kari and Gatomon enter into the apartment, the last message they received implied that they had captured Arukenimon and Oikawa.

As Kari heads straight to the unoccupied chair, Gatomon heading into the bedroom that Kari and Takato shared. Takato was out getting some medical supplies and Gigimon's resting on Takato's bed. He sighs and lowers the heat for the stew he's making. "What happened?" He asks, knowing full well that it couldn't have anything to do with BlackWarGreymon, since they, by they he means Agumon and himself, had talked some sense into that mega. Though he did wonder when the black mega would seek out Guilmon and Takato, if only to see if what they told him was true.

Kari frowns and replies, "We had them, but somehow, Oikawa was able to over come the bonds which were holding them." He blinks in surprise and Kari looks at him and then notices Kudamon. "Who's he?" Kari says, nodding to the wounded Digimon on the counter.

"Kudamon? The only surviving Digimon out of the trio that attacked with Takato and Guilmon earlier today, Takato believes that Kudamon here," he nods at the rookie, "Is someone's partner. He's hoping that Gennai might be able to send the little guy back to his partner." He says. Kari smiles and nods as she says, "Takato's the forgiving sort." He has to agree with that observation. "He wouldn't be Takato if he weren't, would he?" He replies fondly.

He returns to the food on the oven, he wonders just how the injured Digimon will take to his new surroundings. He shakes his head and checks on the fish baking in the oven. He soon hears the door open and his adopted brother greet Kari before heading into the bathroom to put the medical items away. Takato finishes and comes into the kitchen to set the table, the stew is almost done and the fish will take about ten more minutes, which should allow Gigimon to eat his fill and not try and eat the fish baking in the oven.

Once everyone was around the table, Kudamon stirs and looks frantically around. The little ferret looking Digimon lets out a yell of surprise once the white and golden marked Digimon notices Takato and Gigimon. Takato was about to get up when Kari placed a hand on Takato's arm and then his little sister got up and explained what happened while the rookie was out of it.

Once Kudamon is slightly more relaxed, Kari goes and gets another bowl. Once his baby sister hands him the bowl, he spoons some of the stew into it. Once Kari sets the bowl by the rookie on the pillow, the timer for the fish goes and Kari gets it as Gatomon looks eager for her fish. He grins at the expression and it fades slightly when he looks at Takato. He sighs mentally and decides to remind his little brother that it had been a battle to decide whether or not he'd remain here, in this reality.

'_Still, he won't be who he is if he doesn't blame himself for what happened…'_ He muses to himself as he swallows the stew that's in his mouth. He glances at his little brother, proud of the young yellow goggle wearing preteen. He sighs as he's reminded once more that they probably have about two years or so together. _'I'll just have to make it remember able.'_ He tells himself as he has more stew, making plans on how to spend time with his two siblings once this whole thing is over and done with.

(-Takato-)

He rotates his left shoulder once he stands up. He glances around for Gigimon, wondering where his partner could run off to. He checks his D-Ark for the time and sighs as he notices that he had been napping for about forty minutes. He sighs as he turns around and picks up his scrap book and back pack.

He glances around the deserted park, not too many people felt safe enough from Digimon attacks so there aren't that many people around. He studies the area and blinks as he notices a familiar black form. He stares at it for a few minutes, totally surprised to be so close to BlackWarGreymon that he almost forgot about his partner…

"Gigimon!" He shouts once he remembers about what the mega had once tried to do to Oikawa, once the mega labelled him unnatural. "Takato!" Guilmon shouts and he races to where he heard his best friend. "Guilmon!" He shouts in relief as he finds his partner standing before the mega made out of control spires. He sighs as Guilmon charges him and then leaps into the air onto his chest. He falls onto his back and shakes his head as he pushes his partner off of him. "So this is your creator?" BlackWarGreymon asks, and he freezes when the black mega says that.

"Yip, this is Takato." His partner chirps. He finds himself under the unwavering gaze of the mega before him. After a few minutes BlackWarGreymon asks him, "Why did you create a Digimon, human? Was it to be your servant? Your minion?" He blinks and swallows only to find his mouth is dry. "I just wanted a friend." He says softly and kind of surprised himself with that answer. "Then why create one? Why not find one and befriend one?" BlackWarGreymon asks. "I honestly didn't think Digimon were real. I thought it was just a cartoon show and a card game. Even if I had known, I wouldn't have done anything different. Guilmon's as much a part of me as I am of him. I wouldn't trade him for two worlds." He answers, staring not into BlackWarGreymon's face, but at Guilmon.

He glances at BlackWarGreymon, suddenly aware that the mega has yet to look away from him. He swallows nervously under the mega's scrutiny; finally the mega straightens and looks at the red virus that is his partner and best friend. "You are lucky, very lucky. I'll be leaving now and I hope your partnership continues to grow strong as you continue to walk your chosen paths." He watches as BlackWarGreymon leaps into the air and speeds away, leaving him alone with his partner and friend.

"I wish he hadn't gone so soon. I wanted to ask if he wouldn't mind playing Hide and Go Seek with me." Guilmon says sadly. He chuckles and pats the tall rookie on the back. "I think he has some issues he needs to work through. Who knows, you might get to see him again." He tells Guilmon, at that the virus cheers up and hums his agreement. He smiles as Guilmon watches the spot where the mega Digimon headed off to, maybe hoping to spot the black armoured Digimon from where they stood.

"Takato? Will we always be together?" Guilmon asks, he blinks in surprise and Guilmon turns to stare at him with his yellow eyes. He smiles and says, "I hope so, Guilmon, I hope so. I also hope we can rescue the others as well. I just wish I knew why GranDracmon keeps coming after me…" He looks wistful at the last part; he sighs and checks the time. "You want to maybe eat out tonight? I'm sure that Kari and Tai would understand." "Just the two of us?" Guilmon asks, perking at the mention of eating. "Well, yea, you're the only one here, right?" He says dryly. Guilmon hums and he walks back to get his back pack, once he has it they head off, Guilmon transforming into Gigimon once they exit the park. He sent a message with his D-Terminal to his adopted siblings D-Terminals.

(-Some Where Between Realities-)

He shakes his head slightly as he reads the MIA reports. While he does want the human, he had the patience to know that human will come for his friends; he curses his minions on their plans. He might not have lost anyone important, but he didn't like the fact that his minions were taking it upon themselves try and capture the human themselves.

He had already guessed that the boy would end up with powerful allies, he had counted on it once he realised what happened that allowed the child to slip through his fingers the first time. The mistake had almost ruined his plans for the boy and himself. He had thought he'd need to wait for another ten or so years before the human would once more be in the condition he needs him to be, luckily the reality's time is much faster then where the subject's home reality is. Which means that in less then a day, the boy will be the right age for his plans.

He smirks as he causes the reports to burn into ashes. _'Soon I shall find out if it's possible, if it successes then all realities shall tremble in my shadow! I shall be truly invisible!'_ He thinks to himself, not wanting to ruin his calm, cold mask that he has found to be of much use to him in dealing with his underlings. His eyes flash and he dismisses his servant from his sight, the Digimon flinches and flees as if a Megidramon was chasing him.

To be continued …


	12. So Ends Season 02

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 12

He scratches his back of his head, staring at the scene before him. _'This is most definitely isn't what I expected...'_ He thinks to himself as TK and Kari lay on the ground, their lips touching each others with their eyes wide, they clearly were surprise to be in this position and as their checks redden, he could only guess they were also embarrassed as well.

Behind him Matt and Tai were stiff, he's glances to where Patamon and Gatomon were and found that the pair are staring at their partners. He once more looks to where Kari lies on top of TK; he sighs mentally and makes a throaty noise. Kari jerks away from TK and sits on her bottom as TK blinks and gasps as his blond friend notices just who else witnessed the kiss. "Tai! Matt! It's not what it looks like!" TK practically shouts as he holds up both of his hands in front of him, as if by the doing this he can fend off their questions.

"So, what caused you to trip into TK?" He asks his adopted sister. He's amused to watch as the girl that's his sister in every sense of the word stares at him, most likely puzzled that he's asking her and not TK. Kari blinks a few times and finally says, "I think it was the rug…" He chuckles as he notices the distant looks over comes Kari which causes her to blush furiously which he decides is because she's replaying the memory of the kiss over again in her mind's eye.

He turns and studies the pair of older teens, he finds that both of them had laugher shining in their eyes, clearly amused not that they have gotten over the shock of seeing their younger siblings kiss. "So… when were you going to ask Takato or me for permission to date Kari?" Tai asks, crossing his arms over his chest. He shakes his head at Tai's behaviour; Matt sighs and shakes his head at one of his best friends. "Tai, I think I already gave TK permission to go after Kari." He says, he really did approve of TK and if a little white lie is all it takes to help get TK our from under Tai's gaze, then so be it.

'_Well technically I think my actions were giving him permission.'_ He tells himself as Tai stares at him. He could tell that both Kari and TK were surprise that he's trying to help keep TK from receiving any speeches from Tai in regards to TK lacking permission to ask Kari out, let alone kiss her. He honestly didn't think that either of them deserves the kind of treatment Tai most likely will come up with over this whole innocent incident, especially not with what's been going on at the moment.

He remains calm under Tai's searching gaze, clearly unsure whether or not to believe him. It was Matt who finally came to his rescue by slapping Tai on the shoulder and saying, "See? Takato has it under control, so lay off the poor kid Tai. There's a lot of things going on and it must have slipped his mind with what's happening around here. Besides, you _know_ TK and you really think that my little brother will try something with Kari?" Matt and Tai were staring into each other's eyes and finally Tai looks away, clearly Matt wins that round; he doesn't doubt that Tai will most likely be bothering Matt and Sora about this for a while. He really hopes that the pair will be patient with his 'elder' brother, Tai is the over protective sort...

Soon they all relax and Kari gives him a look of gratitude as TK's colour returns to normal, he noticed that TK had gone pale while he defended his usual hang out buddy and friend. He glances down at Gigimon, surprise that his partner hasn't said a word while all this was going on. He blinks and sighs as he realises that his partner had fallen asleep standing up… He smiles gently as he reaches down and picks up his best friend. He straightens up and walks to the couch, plopping down between TK and Tai. Kari connecting the DVD player that Matt brought over as the blond music singer grabs soda from the fridge. _'Tomorrow is most likely when the whole thing with Myotismon will be blown wide open…'_ He guesses as Kari puts in the Disc, Matt relaxes on the chair as Kari gets one of the wooden chairs from around the kitchen table.

He strokes Gigimon absently as they watch the movie. He wonders what it would have been like to kiss Rika on the lips…

(-TK-)

He cringe as he looks around at what they had thought was the Digital world. He sighs and looks behind him; he had kind of hoped that Takato and Guilmon would have at least come through the gate before it closed. _'Times like these I really do wish that I can help Patamon then just shouting out encouragement. I wonder what kind of mega Patamon and could Bio Merge into if we had the ability…'_ He thinks to himself, remembering his envy of Takato's Digivice when he was younger.

He knows that they were way over their head in trouble and had hoped as well as prayed that Takato would be here to help them against the puppet master. He turns around as they come face to face with Oikawa; he frowns as he hears another voice echoing in this realm. A very familiar voice… "Myotismon!" Gatomon growls out, surprising both Patamon and himself as well as the others. "So my pet remembers me?" The voice says, he notices how Gatomon flinched at the title 'pet.' The voice then laughs, a mouth appears out of no where.

He blinks as something catches his attention; he notices that nobody else notices it, so he frowns. He keeps looking at it as Myotismon talks about how he possessed Oikawa. He glances from it and then to the mouth and then back at the object, he sighs and walks silently towards it, unable to resist. "TK?" He hears Patamon say from behind him. He glances behind him as he touches the object; he blinks as light covers him.

"Patamon?" He asks, he looks around in search for his partner. He pauses as he notices a statue. The statue is that of an angel Digimon covered in armour with five pairs of wings coming out of his back. He blinks as he notices the crest of Hope on one of the plates of armour. "This is Seraphimon. A mega level Digimon that is usually the mega form of MagnaAngemon. His attack is Strike of the Seven Stars. He is powerful, but I doubt he's who you need for the times ahead." A voice tells him, he looks behind him, blinking as he comes face to face with an odd looking lion looking Digimon.

He studies the Digimon before him; he notices the black trench coat, hat, and pants. He notices the large crossed scars this Digimon has on his chest was well as bandages wrapped around the guy's fists and feet. "Who are you?" He asks and the humanoid lion replies, "I'm BantyoLeomon. That's all you need to know, human." He blinks and moves as BantyoLeomon moves to stand before the statue. "Then how do you know that Seraphimon isn't who we need right now?" He asks, slightly angered by this Digimon's tone.

BantyoLeomon glances at him with a critical eye. "You're going after GranDracmon, aren't you?" The Digimon asks. He blinks in surprise that the Digimon knows the name of the Digimon that's after Takato. "Yea, my friend Takato's the one the guy's after." He says. "Then Seraphimon isn't even an opinion. This guy's weaknesses and strengths are too well known, too well documented. I don't know if I can even help you." The Digimon admits, with a flick of his hand a few more statues of angel types appear along the row, those the only one he couldn't name was this key wielding angel.

He sighs as he glances between the two, from what he can tell, Seraphimon and the key wielding Digimon seem to be the only megas in the row of angel types. "This is it? Just these?" He asks the lion looking Digimon. "We could try putting you into the orb, but there's a slim chance of that working out. It's up to you to decide, I'm just here to help make it happen." BantyoLeomon tells him honestly.

He bites his lower lip, not totally sure why he's here, only that it seem that he's to chose a mega form for Patamon… His stomach feels heavy as he realises that he's here alone without his partner and this means that he can't ask his partner's opinion on this. After a while, he finally asks, "What do you suggest I do? I really want Patamon's opinion but he's not here, so I'm asking you, your opinion on this." BantyoLeomon looks surprised at him asking the Digimon's opinion on helping him choose.

BantyoLeomon sighs and the lights turn off and a door opens. The tall Digimon motions for him to follow and he does as the beast man leads him down a hallway. He wonders where they were as he notices some of doors along the side of the hallway. They stop before a set of red doors, the beast man places his hand on some kind of scanning pad and the doors creep open once they finish scanning the hand print.

Once the opens swing inwards, his host enters into the room and the lights turn on as well. He blinks as he notices this black orb on a short pillar in the center of the room. He gasps as he begins to notice the many colours radiating from what he had thought was a black orb. "But it looked black…" He says in surprise. "Funny thing about the colour black, it's not a natural colour, it is in fact what occurs when you mix all colours." BantyoLeomon says in amusement. "Really? I wonder if Takato knows that, he is an artist after all." He says, unable to look away from the orb resting innocently on the pillar.

"Go and touch it, what happens once you touch it, I can not say. I've never seen it do anything more then send those that have touched it flying into yonder wall." The beast man tells him, he glances away and notices how beat up the wall behind him is. He swallows and straightens up before walking slowly up to the pillar. He smiles at the beauty of the colours as they dance out from the orb.

He pauses as he stands before the short pillar, looking around and spotting the Digimon that he barely knows and yet for some odd reason trusts. He takes two deep calming breaths before he then reaches out with both of his hands, touching the orb. Gently he picks it up, he notices how warm is feels under his skin and how it seems to slowly spread throughout his body. He smiles as he relaxes now that the orb has yet to throw him into the wall behind him.

He jerks his head as he lets go of the orb, but the ball disappears into a flow of multicoloured light. This flow enters into his body, he blinks as everything begins to fade, he can hear BantyoLeomon shout but it doesn't stop him from blacking out…

(-Kari-)

She and the others glance to where Patamon had screamed "TK!" before also vanishing into thin air. "What did you do?!" Davis roars at the lips, the fellow Digimon seem to echo the goggle wearing preteen's sentiments. She just stares dumbly where Patamon, and most likely TK, had been standing.

Myotismon only laughs; she sighs and wonders if Takato's right about their ability to defeat the undead Digimon type. She would really would have preferred it if her brother in everything but blood could be here, if only just for virtual reassurance. _'But he doesn't want me depending on him, which is something I don't want to happen either. So I'll have to believe in myself, in Gatomon, and in my friends.'_ She thinks to herself as she looks away from the spot where her oldest friend and his partner vanished.

It wasn't long before the remainder of the data that Myotismon had stored within Oikawa has been extracted and they watched as the two minions of her partner's former master destroys them before their eyes. She pales slightly and then she frowns as she thinks about what the virus had said about this being a realm of dreams and wishes. _'Does that mean that TK and Patamon are fine? If so, then what happened to them…'_ She thinks to herself.

Soon the 'new' and 'improved' Myotismon stood before them as MaloMyotismon. Odd that even though the undead vampire is now a mega that she still thought of him by his ultimate form's name… _'Maybe because he just doesn't seem to be a real mega?'_ She thinks to herself as their partners soon Digivolve into their armoured forms which were Stingmon, Digmon, Halsemon, Flamedramon, and Nefertimon. Their partners attack the mega before them, she looks to where the group of kids were and then to Oikawa.

She worries for their safe; she only hopes that TK and Patamon returns from what happened to help them out against MaloMyotismon. She has faith that they can hold the mega off, she's just unsure if they can take him out without TK and Patamon. MaloMyotismon uses Screaming Darkness, Nefertimon evades while Digmon and Flamedramon were hit hard by the attack. Halsemon and her partner uses their range attacks while Stringmon checks on the other two Digimon, they both hit the mega, in the chest and the other in the head. MaloMyotismon grunts on being hit by the two attacks.

The virus Digimon growls, at this moment she truly wishes that that Veemon had Digivolved into ExVeemon instead of Flamedramon, so that Stingmon and ExVeemon could DNA Digivolve into Paildramon and then into Imperialdramon. They could really use a mega on their side right now…

"Crimson Mist!" MaloMyotismon shouts after saying something that she had been busy thinking about the whole Imperialdramon thing. A whiteness covers everything and she blinks as she finds herself in a park where kids and in-training Digimon were having fun. She sits up and looks around, not sure why but she doesn't like the look of this for some reason…

"Gatomon? Where's TK and Patamon?" She asks and her partner and friend replies softly, "They still haven't shown up yet. I'm getting worried." She nods and stands up then asks, "Then what is this place? Where's MaloMyotismon?" "Don't know but I do know that this isn't real." The white cat says firmly. "Ok, how do we do that?" She asks and jerks as Flamedramon appears out of nowhere. "With my help of course." The armour Digimon says in amusement. She chuckles as Gatomon and her walk towards the red armour clad Digimon.

Soon she finds herself once more back in that realm of dreams and wishes. Soon the others appear, she wonders what had just happened since it seems she wasn't as affected by it as much as the others, with the exception of Davis. "How is it you weren't affected by my Crimson Mist? How is it that you don't have any insecurities about your life?" The mega roars at Davis. She blinks, surprise at the fact that the scene she had just been in had been a projection of her wishes… or what had been her wishes before she had accidentally kissed her blond friend just last night and at the feelings it has brought out of her.

At the thought of that kiss, she blushes and is very grateful that Takato had been able to defuse the whole incident before Tai blow his top. She still didn't understand how it was that he addressed her instead of TK once they separated, but she'd worry about that later, like after they defeat the undead Digimon once more.

She blinks and then slowly glances around at the group; she finds that Raidramon, Flamedramon, and ExVeemon were standing around them. "… I just wished for more power and they just appeared." Davis finishes, she had missed most of the conversation between Davis and MaloMyotismon. "You just wished you had more power and Veemon split himself up into all of his evolutions?" Yolei asks, dumbly. _'Oh!'_ She thinks to herself, glad that Yolei summary of how Davis now has three partners.

"That pretty much covers it, yea." Davis admits and she smiles slightly at that. She's glad to have Davis as a friend, especially now that he seems to be more mature then he had been about a year ago, but then the Digital World does that to people. Which brings up not only TK, but Takato as well, she remembers what her adopted brother had told them about his life before he arrived here in this reality.

She shivers at the thought of facing something that could destroy Digital matter with a simple touch… She also feels bad at the fact that Takato's friends were still captured and there wasn't anything they could do about it right now. When she and the others are fourteen, they'll make the attempt to rescue them, but until then Takato's still going to be with them and she's relieved about that. She does love Tai, it's just that Takato seems to understand her on a different level then Tai does, she concludes that it's not just because Takato's reality had a TV show about their adventures either. Which kind of made her want to watch the cartoon even more, especially since Takato admitted that it would show what life would be like without him around and she really was curious about how things would have turned out if it weren't for her brother being around in their world.

She sighs and pushes those thoughts out of her mind, trying to focus on the matter at hand and not on what most likely happen in the future. She takes her D-3 into her hands and concentrates on wishing that Gatomon was more powerful. Soon Angewomon, Gatomon, and Nefertimon were by her side and soon Gatomon and Aquilamon DNA Digivolved into Silphymon as Paildramon Digivolves into Imperialdramon. Without TK and Angemon around, Ankylomon can't become Shakkoumon, which leaves Digmon and Ankylomon to battle MaloMyotismon.

Soon they're partner's attacks were causing MaloMyotismon pain. Imperialdramon rams the mega and as the fabric of the realm begins to ripe, someone shouts, "Heaven's Ripper!" MaloMyotismon's armour has a long gash from one end of the chest plates to the other. "Who dares?!" MaloMyotismon roars as the mega lands hard on the brown earth of the Digital World.

A gasp comes from the kids that have the clone Dark Spores and she stares at where they're looking. The Digimon that attacked MaloMyotismon has metal wings coming out of his back. The same grey colour is used for the helmet, shoulder pads, and pants. The lower arms were simply blades with blue and golden designs on the flat non-sharp parts of the blades. A matching cloth is wrapped around the Digimon's middle. There is dark grey, almost black, armour covering what the steel grey armour isn't covering. She can't tell from where she's standing but she thought she saw spike blue hair coming out of the back of the helmet. She wonders if those were blades on the edges of the Digimon's shoes…

"Does it matter?" The angel looking mega asks. This only cause MaloMyotismon to growl as the undead Digimon clutches his chest, the gash still visible on the evil mega. She frowns, wondering why that voice sounds familiar…

(-GuardiAngemon-)

He had just appeared; he didn't know where he was, even though a part of him thought this place looked familiar and had watched as the great dragon Digimon rams the white and purple armoured Digimon. He realises that this wasn't the correct course of action and uses Heaven's Ripper in attempt to correct the error that was occurring before his eyes.

The attack was suppose to cut the other mega in half, but luck seemed to be on the other's side as he only caused a gash on the vampire's chest plates. He hovers in the air; he attempts to figure out where he is and why this place seems to be so familiar. The dragon mega has yet to emerge from that other realm as the Digimon in white and purple roars out, "Who dares?!"

He finds that he's now center of attention. He frowns as he wonders why he has a odd feeling that something's wrong within him, like just by saying him seems wrong… He dismisses it, for now, and then asks, "Does it matter?" A ball of purple black energy is shot at him; he slices through it without any trouble. He frowns under his helmet as he notices the preteens by the edge of the boarder between the two realms.

One of the kids makes him feel… he couldn't explain it as he feels his face heat up under the metal helmet. He also realises that the kid that's making him weird is a girl at that. He sighs mentally as the two mouths that were shoulder guards open and massive amounts of energy begin to swirl in between their jaws. "Heaven's Ripper!" He shouts, moves quickly and hits the back of the evil mega, frowning as he realises that he's not yet powerful enough to take the evil mega out with one hit. He blinks beneath the helmet, trying to puzzle out how he knows that he needs to take the white and purple armoured Digimon out as quickly as he can.

"Hey buddy! Why are you helping us out?" The kid with white goggle asks. He glances at the kid, confused why the group seems so familiar. _"Isn't that Davis?"_ A voice says. He blinks and soon finds himself in a sphere. _'Patamon?"_ He asks, something finally stirs within his mind. _"TK! Umm, why are you inside me? And what's going on?"_ His partner asks, he can feel his friend's confusion from within the sphere. He grins and then sighs as he remembers everything. _"I think I wished this on us. I guess this is how it's been answered."_ He says from his sphere.

"Hello! Are you even listening to me?" Davis shouts out, snapping them out of their conversation. "Not now Davis! We're still trying to figure out what's going on!" Patamon and him say in a dual voice, much like Guilmon and Takato has when they're Gallantmon. "TK?" Davis asks, clearly startled as does Yolei ask, "Patamon?" "Well, guess we are, since we are, even though we are GuardiAngemon." They reply together. He grins from his sphere, amused by the looks that their friends were giving them.

"_This is so weird!"_ Patamon groans. He chuckles and replies, _"This must what it be like for Takato and Guilmon when they're Gallantmon."_ They look sharply at Myotismon's new form and moves before his friends as a ball of purple energy comes speeding towards them. The attack hits their combine body, but it didn't really hurt them. Imperialdramon, Silphymon, and Ankylomon come out of the other realm. They glance at the other Digimon, he felt weird when he thought that, but figured it's true as long as he's within GuardiAngemon.

"Heaven's Ripper!" They shout out and cut Myotismon's left side. Their enemy cries out in pain as data bursts out from the wound. "Is that really TK and Patamon?" Silphymon asks, clearly startled at how they just kept attacking Myotismon without giving their enemy time to retaliate. _'Why hasn't that urgency disappeared yet? It's like it's getting stronger… Hey, what's that dark cloud doing there? Above his head?'_ He thinks to himself as they glance at the air above Myotismon's head.

The mega seems to pause and calms down as he looks around. Soon the evil mega starts to chuckle and then laughs uncontrollably, this causes the dark cloud to begin to grow and spread across the sky of the Digital World. "That can't be good." Cody says, surprising them that the quiet and usual reserved boy stating a thought they all were thinking. The sense of dread weights heavily in his gut, he truly doesn't like what's happening.

(-Tai-)

They were all gathered at the old campsite, the girl that had been left behind with them. He notices that Sora's standing protectively with the young preteen, he frowns as he hopes that what they're about to attempt works, he really doesn't want to let this Oikawa win without being able to help the group of Digidestine with D-3.

Takato stands a bit off from where they're gathered, he couldn't read his little brother's face too well as the young goggle wearing preteen stares into the sky over head. He could only say for certain that Takato seems worried about what's happening, the other emotions playing in Takato's brownish red eyes were harder to pin down. Guilmon seems to be staring at the same spot as Takato, as if the virus knows that something is happening at this moment and seems to be waiting for something to open up.

He sighs, he couldn't really blame Takato from being worried, he's also worried about the younger group of Digidestine, there were times where he wishes that Takato would take an active interest in that group of Digidestine, but then Takato seems to believe that they need to get through it on their own, as if his brother just knows that they'll be able to defeat anything that comes their way. At times, he wishes he had Takato's confidence when it comes to the younger group of Digidestine, it most likely stems from the fact that Kari is part of that group too.

He freezes as he feels something ooze slowly over him and he looks up and gasps as he notices how the stars seem to fade as this black cloud begins to spread across the sky. "What's happening?" The girl's mother asks, clearly scared. "How do we stop it seems the better question." He mutters to himself and then he's struck with an idea so takes out his Digivice. He holds it up into the air and a light comes out of it. "I think this could work!" He says and soon the others were mimicking his idea, all of the Digidestine have their Digivices in the air with lights shooting out from them. The gate opens up and they are pulled through the dimensional divide, into the Digital World.

)-(

He sighs as he notices the latest picture of TK and Patamon that Takato sketched on the table. He notices GuardiAngemon in the sky above the pair, he remembers to complement Takato on his latest drawing as he turns away from the table and sits on the couch with remote in hand.

A news broadcast about what happened two months ago greets him as the TV comes to life. He remembers how those kids with the clone Dark Spores had accidentally healed MaloMyotismon when they gave into their negative feelings. What shocked practically everyone was when the metal angel known as GuardiAngemon had divided into TK and Patamon, once they had split apart TK helped destroy MaloMyotismon's body by adding his light from his D-3 to the rest of the younger group of Digidestine. Imperialdramon did the rest by blasting the remaining particles of MaloMyotismon's spirit into nothingness.

Surprisingly, when Gennai had appeared with Gatomon's tail ring, BlackWarGreymon had shown up as well. He hadn't been close enough to listen in on what Gennai had said to the younger Digidestines and BlackWarGreymon had also spoken to the group before shouting out his good byes as the black coloured WarGreymon vanished into thin air. He smiles as he remembers the looks on those faces of them kids that had been kidnapped by Myotismon. He can clearly recall the looks of surprise, joy, and wonderment as they received not only their D-3s, but their Digimon partners as well.

When they returned to the real world, they had so many people trying to interview them, to become their friends, and let's not forget the reactions of their parents. He knows that Takato, Kari, and him were lucky, their parents weren't that surprise to find out that they were busy saving the world, again. Takato took the whole press thing in stride; he chalks it up to the publicity he had received back when his adopted brother defeated the D-Reaper.

Cody's reaction to all of that publicity by trying to remain inside of his apartment as much as possible, the young bearer of the Digi Eggs of Knowledge and Reliability attempted to become a hermit, the only one that seemed to crack through this shell that Cody had erected around himself was Joe. Most of them fell between Takato and Cody's reactions, each trying to come to terms with the fact that they just made history, and for some of them, again. He could really do without every girl attempting to date him at the same time or watching Sora keep getting asked out by a shit load of guys. Neither Matt or him liked that one bit, it was around then did they realise that they both had fallen for the bearer of the crest of Love.

He blushes as he remembers the first time he admitted that Sora was beautiful, Matt had agreed and mentioned how the light seems to bring out her eyes… He sighs once more and leans his head on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling as if it had all of the answers. "What's wrong?" He hears Kari ask and he answers without thinking, "I think I'm in love with Sora Takenouchi." He sits straight up and pales as he notices Davis and Yolei stand slightly behind his sister. He hurries to his room, his face glowing red from embarrassment. He groans as he throws himself onto the bed, once he heard the door bang shut. He can't believe he just said that! Especially in front of Davis and Yolei!

(-Takato-)

"You love who?!" He shouts in disbelief as Sora burns red from embarrassment, he had just walked up behind the bearer of the crest of Love when he spotted her in the park. He had hoped to sneak up behind Sora and surprise her; he didn't expect to hear her confess the name of her crush. "Promise you won't tell anybody, Takato? Please, Takato? I don't want to ruin my friendships with two of the most important friends I have!" Sora says, the teenager giving him the wounded puppy look. He groans inwardly as he nods his head, he begins to wonder how he gets himself into these things.

Sora hugs him as thanks, he watches as the tennis play hurries away, leaving him only until Calumon and Guilmon come racing pass him. They pause and Guilmon asks, "Are you ok, Takatomon?" "I'm not a mon and I just wonder how these things happen to me." He admits, still shocked at what Sora had just said in front of him. _'Well, I wonder who'll surprise me next? Davis admitting he has a crush on Yolei?'_ He wonders as he shakes his head, hoping to clear his thoughts as the two Digimon seem to share a look, before shrugging and racing off towards this guy selling Ice Cream.

To be continued …


	13. Halloween Mischief

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 13

He turns around slowly, studying the last room with a critical eye. He finally nods in satisfaction at a job well done by Kari, Yolei, Mimi, and, surprisingly enough, Ken. They were using this old apartment building for their haunted house, Ken and Yolei supplied the auto electronics and robotics. Kari and Mimi were in charge of the look and decorations of chosen theme that they had picked out of a hat.

The theme is medieval castles, which he believes they did a great job of pulling off. He sighs as he glances sideways at Tai, wondering why his adopted brother wanted to explore the haunted house just two days before Halloween. He shakes his head as the thought that Tai doesn't have a clue at what to dress up as for Halloween. He sighs and is glad that Tai has his drivers, for his older brother so owes him for not ratting on him about this little adventure.

He smirks slightly as thoughts of having Tai drive him around for a whole day were appealing, considering this might be the only time he'll have an older sibling to blackmail… He sighs as he realises that this will be the last Halloween he'll spend with the Kamiya's. He frowns as he tries to remember what month it had been before the whole kidnapping attempt.

"You ok?" Tai whispers. He blinks and nods before he admits, "Just remembering that this is probably the last Halloween I'll spend with you guys." He notices the defeated look that graced Tai's face. "I think Guilmon will like this place." He says, changing the subject. Tai nods, his adopted elder brother glad at the change in subject. "Agumon would too, if I can talk him into coming." Tai says. He chuckles as he remembers what Guilmon's going to do for Halloween; Guilmon's idea of a costume is having white make up all over his hide and saying he's his own ghost.

'_Well at least he's willing to dress up for the holiday, that's more then what the other Digimon are willing to do.'_ He muses to himself as they begin to descend down to the ground floor. He glances backwards at the building, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that they've been working on the haunted house since summer time. "They really did a great job, didn't they?" He says as he opens up the car door. Tai hums his agreement, the older teen's mind on something other then what he said. He sighs and wonders just what Tai's thinking about as the car heads back to the apartment, he wonders just what kind of costume Tai will come up with at the last minute. _'Most likely a vampire or mummy.'_ He thinks to himself.

(-Tai-)

He frowns as he notices a few pictures of the latest manga about ninjas that Takato's basing his costume off of. He wonders why those nine tails were framing the preteen in the center of the picture. He studies the cat like eyes with three dark lines on each cheek and longish canines protruding from the kid's snarling face.

"Like it?" Takato asks, startling him. He snaps his head at his adopted little brother. "It's… emotional." He says, trying to think a word to describe it the drawing. Takato nods thoughtfully and then asks, "What do you want to borrow?" He sighs and he runs a hand through his semi tamed hair. He had it trimmed down about five months after the MaloMyotismon, he had hoped that he could by pass the press by simply altering his usual hair cut, it worked for about four hours, before one of his fans put two and two together and his cover was blown.

He finally answers after a few minutes, "I'm kind of hoping to borrow one of your drawings." He wasn't going to tell Takato that he had asked for Gennai's help with having those cloths that often appears when you cross into the dimensional divide between the real world and the Digital one. He had noticed one of Takato's original characters and thought the guy looked amazing.

Takato blinks in surprise, apparently not expecting him to be asking for a picture. "Sure, which one did you want?" Takato asks, heading towards his stack of scrap books. "The one with that scar over his left eye and skin around it. He also had a broad sword lying on the ground next to him." He describes the picture and Takato's eyes light up, "Cro? It had feathers kind of drifting around him, right?" He nods, now that he thought about it, it did have feathers on the page. Takato rummages around in the scrap books until Takato takes out one and flips through the pages. Once the yellow goggle wearing teen finds the picture, Takato hands the scrap book over and he grins in relief that Takato hadn't given it away.

The picture had this teen sitting down, his upper body leaning on his right leg with his hands on top of the knee. The kid did have black feathers surrounding him as well as a broad sword on the ground to the left. He notices on the left bottom corner title of the picture, 'Cro.' To the right bottom corner was Takato's name. "No 'w' at the end?" He asks. "You can do that, I found this odd site about some American cartoon show called Cro, it was about this cave kid that's friends with some talking Mammoths. I liked the character and wanted to use the name." The Tamer tells him. He shakes his head a little and heads out of the room, oddly enough, Kari and Takato still share a room after all this time.

"Thanks." He says and then heads straight to his room to use his computer. He notices that Agumon, Gatomon, and Guilmon were playing a racing game on the game system that their parents bought for his sixteenth birthday. He closes the door; he checks the time and brings up the gate program on his laptop computer. Once it's up, he puts in the coordinates and soon enters into the Digital World, close to the lake where Gennai's house is located.

The water parts, revealing the stair case that leads to Gennai's house. He arrives with the scrap book dry and unharmed. "I take it you wish to give it a try?" A young Gennai asks in amusement. "Yea, I even got a picture of what I want my costume to be based off of." He tells Gennai as he hands over Takato's sketch book. "Takato drew this? He's good, really good." Gennai says, pride of his adopted brother's talent kicks up once the … Digi human, or whatever Gennai is, praises Takato's artistic abilities.

They head inside and he follows the young man that use to be a really old man into a lab of sorts. He notices stone tablets leaning against the walls, the scrolls on the shelves, leather bounded books lying all over the place, and the high tech equipment that's in a corner of the room. He watches as Gennai walks up to one of the computer panels and pushes a sequence of buttons. A panel opens up and Gennai rests the picture titled Cro on it, soon the computer scans it and Gennai closes the book. The scanning panel closes and Gennai tips on the computer panel, he wonders what Gennai's looking at, but doesn't move from where he's standing.

He doesn't want to disrupt whatever it is that Gennai's doing, so he just studies the book shelves and desk tops that house the scrolls and books. He wonders if anything in those items were about history of the Digital World or something else entirely as he notices that few of the volumes have dust on them. His attention returns to the corner where the high technology is, he notices something that reminds him of teleportation pads used in Star Trek.

"You just need to step onto the pad and in a few minutes you'll be dressed up your chosen costume." Gennai says confidently. He glances between the pad and at the young man, then back at the pad. He sighs and walks towards the pad and steps onto it. He stiffens as the pad begins to hum to life, then rings of light begin to move up and down around his body, he doesn't feel a thing, just a bit of dizziness. After about ten minutes, the rings vanish and the pad shuts down.

His vision swims for about a minute before he steps off the pad. He then examines his new cloths. He notices the fingerless black gloves that now cover his hands. He's shirt is white with a brown leather jacket that's not zipped up covering his upper body. Black leather pants were being held up with a brown belts and he now has a pair of brown cowboy boots as well. He glances around, wondering where that sword was until he notices it's leaning against the back of the pad, in its sheath.

He picks it up and blinks as he notices how it didn't seem to weight that much. Gennai holds up a mirror and he stares at his face, he notices that scar tissue around his left eye and that the hair above it is bleached white. He traces the pink tissue with an index finger, he also is surprised to notice that his eyes were sapphire blue and most of his hair is black, with the exception of the white patch over his left eye.

His facial features had also undergone a change, not by much but enough for him to notice. He hands it back to Gennai and he then unsheathes his new sword, holding aloof with one hand. Once more he's surprise by its weight, or lack of. He swings it a few times, vertical and horizontally. He puts it back into the sheath and then opens up the strap so that he can carry the sword on his back. He turns around to let Gennai examine him. Gennai nods thoughtful and before Gennai nods as he says, "Might as well head off, it's wired into your Digivice to dissipate at midnight." He's surprise about that, but then nods and heads out of the room, leaving Gennai to his work.

He checks the time and finds that it's about five, he grins as he has time to watch Takato help Guilmon get 'into' his costume. He chuckles as he wonders just how much of Guilmon's 'costume' is going to end up on his little brother.

(-Kari-)

She laughs as Takato tries to grab Guilmon to keep the now make up covered Digimon remain still so that her adopted brother can use some light blue make up to do Guilmon's black markings. She heads a door open and close, she tries to calm down so that she can see who it is that entered into the room. She blinks as she stares at some stranger; she narrows her eyes as she studies the young man's features.

"Tai?" She asks, totally forgetting what had happened just seconds ago. Her elder brother nods, she just couldn't help but stare at her brother who almost doesn't look like himself. She notices the blue eyes flash in amusement as Tai notices Takato holding Guilmon down on the floor. "Tai?" Takato asks, Guilmon gets up now that his partner's distracted and Takato lands on his butt, still looking their mutual sibling.

"How? I mean, you look just like Cro from that picture I lent you!" Her supposed 'twin' says. She blinks and glances between Takato and Tai before shrugging and return to reading her book. She notices as Guilmon sniffs Tai's sword that rests on his back. She blinks as she notices a spark occur when Guilmon touched the sword with his nose. She chuckles slightly at the surprised look on the virus's face, as well as at how funny Guilmon looks with his eyes crisscrossed as the Digimon stares at his nose.

'_Too bad Gatomon's not here, she would have loved to see that look on Guilmon's face.'_ She thinks to herself. She has her costume hanging up in the closet; she had to remember to thank Mimi for showing her that show. She wonders if what TK's going as, they had promised to go as cartoon characters, from North American shows at that.

(-Takato-)

He watches Guilmon, he doesn't know what's going on with his partner but he is certain that something's off. He frowns as he watches how for a few seconds, Guilmon seemed taller then he should be. He sighs and decides to talk with the usual red Digimon later, after they open up the haunted house.

He glances to where Matt and Tai were standing; he couldn't get over how much like his picture of Cro Tai looks like. Matt dressed up as Cloud from Final Fantasy, he has a large fake sword strapped to his back and his hair spiked in Cloud's usual style. He glances over to Sora, she's dressed up as Card Captor Sakura in the out fit that the show had her in when she's facing against Yue.

He cracks a grin as he watches Joe walk towards them with Cody in toe. The doctor to be is currently posing as Ranma from Ranma 1/2 while Cody seems to be Toboe from Wolf's Rain. He wonders if Joe's wearing contacts since he doesn't see the older teen's glasses around. He also notices how self conscious Joe's being; he believes that it might have to do with so many girls eyeing him as if he's prime beef.

"Hey, you two! Where's your glasses Joe?" Tai asks, grinning slightly as Joe shifts his weight around and Joe answers, "I'm wearing contacts for the night." Matt slaps Joe on the shoulder and asks, "So, you just bought them for tonight?" He turns away as they chat; he continues to scan around for the others, hoping to spot them before they could get the drop on them.

Kari joins in as he glances at his adopted sister out of the corner of his eye. Kari and TK had agreed to dress up as North American cartoon characters, Kari choice to dress up as Elisa Maza from Disney's Gargoyles. It seems that Elisa is a cop in the show; the character is emotionally involved with the leader of the clan of Gargoyles, Goliath.

He had seen TK when he was getting his blue contacts, TK was looking at some green colours which means that who ever TK's going as, they have green eyes. He snaps out of his thoughts as he notices Ken walking towards them with Davis. He notices the red cloak and blond hair; he's guessing Edwards from Fullmetal Alchemist. He didn't know who Ken's dress as though, he kind of surprised that Ken had even shown up with so much of his skin revealed. He had to wonder who talked the ex-Digimon Emperor into wearing so little in the way of cloths.

'_I'll bet it was Yolei.'_ He thinks to himself as he grins at Ken and Davis as they walk up. "I'm going with Ed from Fullmetal and I don't have the slightest clue who you're dressed up as Ken." Davis says as they're close enough. Davis just grins at the last part; Ken just sighs and says, "I'm supposed to be Koga from Inu-Yasha." He blinks; he hadn't expected anyone to dress up as one of those characters from that show.

The pair soon joins in the conversation that's going on around him; he couldn't bring himself to join in as he scans the crowd that's beginning to gather before the haunted house. He notices a figure with white hair that's wearing a black jumpsuit with white boots, belt, and gloves with some odd logo on the front. As the person draws closer, he notices the neon green eye that seem to go with the white hair and shakes his head as TK puts a finger to his lips, asking him to remain quiet as TK circles the group as best as he can with a building behind them.

While TK does this, he finally notices Izzy walking towards them with Yolei and Mimi. He studies the three and decides that Yolei's Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist, Mimi should be Urd from Oh My Goddess!, and from the pole that Izzy is carrying, he guess that Izzy's Son Goku from Saiyuki.

"Hey you guys! Great to see you showed up for the opening! So? What do you think?" Mimi asks and then spins to show off her costume; he notices that nobodies noticed that TK's joined them as they tell Mimi she looks great. "So? Who gets the honours of cutting the ribbon?" TK asks, scaring most of the group. "TK! Where'd you come from?" Davis asks. "I'm Danny Phantom! You figure it out." TK says with humour oozing out of his tone. He chuckles, admitting that it was worth keeping quiet just to see their expressions.

TK and him clasp hands once TK stands by him. Once more he notices that Guilmon seems taller then he should… then Mimi makes a throaty noise and his thoughts vanish as he turns to look at the teen dressed up as a goddess. "Thank you everyone for coming here to night for the opening of our haunted house. I like to thank Kari, Ken, and Yolei for helping me with this. I couldn't possible done this without your help and I want you three to cut the ribbon, opening our project for its special night." Mimi says and motions for the three to come before her once she has the door open.

The three look at each other and then they use their right hands to pull the ribbon. Once the ribbon snaps, the haunted house comes alive as the lights turn on. Ken and Yolei head into the house, leaving Mimi and Kari to stem the tide of visitors. He watch as people between the ages of 8 and 17 enter the house, he didn't feel the need to explore it, he had already been in it with Tai a few nights before.

He nudges TK and jerks his chin to where Kari is. TK blushes slightly and he nudges his friend again. "Go for it. You don't have to spend the night with me, you know. Not when I know you really want to be with her." He says softly, mostly just to the conversation private TK sighs wistfully, despite the fact that most of the group accepted that the two of them should be a couple, TK and Kari seem reluctant to date, still maintaining that they're just good friends even though they both enjoyed their kiss and liked each other.

'_While it's nice to know that they're not going at each other like bunnies, they really should stop dancing around each other and just explore their relationship, I think the next time I see Rika, I'll ask her out. I wonder what Rika's reaction will be when I ask her out?'_ He ponders to himself as he pictures how Rika would react. He sighs and looks up into the sky, his heart aching as he remembers the one time he ever saw Rika in a dress. He sighs; he doesn't dare draw that, not if he wants to keep his skin. _'Do believe if she knew I'm even thinking about drawing her in that dress, she'd beat me within an inch of my life, let me heal just so she could do it again. Besides, dresses just don't suit her.'_ He tells himself.

"Don't you want to head in?" TK asks after a few minutes. He blinks and looks over at his friend. "I still don't get why you don't just ask my sister that question. Dude, the two of you really need to explore your relationship. I'm not always going to be here for you to use me as an excuse you know. Besides, people might start questioning _our_ preferences. I have Rika and I'm not going to be dragging my feet again with her. I just hope she doesn't cutting straps out of my hide when I begin to show her that I'm interested." He says that last part more for himself then for TK's benefit. He can tell that TK winces at that bit.

"She has major issues, huh?" TK asks. "I think they center around her mother, for the most part anyway. I think she has trust issues, about what, I'm not sure, but I'm willing to find out what they are." He admits to his best male friend of this world. He studies TK thoughtfully, then something seems to click and he felt like the world's biggest idiot. _'TK's like Rika, they both don't want to end up relationships like their parent! How couldn't I see the similarities? I guess TK hides it better then Rika…'_ He thinks to himself, he felt like banging his head against a wall.

He sighs and then just on impulse, he glances around for Guilmon. He pales and his mouth moves but nothing comes out. "Takato?" TK asks in concern. He points above the crowd and he hears TK choke and then cough. He couldn't blame the Digidestine of Hope, he's still trying to think of a way what he's seeing is even possible. "You didn't… did you?" TK asks, he just shakes his head. "I haven't slashed a card through my D-Ark and I might have 'created' him, but even I don't know what's up with that." He tells TK.

Above the crowds Guilmon's floating around, clearly trying to come to terms with his situation as the white coloured Guilmon hovers in the air, seemingly not affected by gravity. "You think people will panic?" TK asks, he shrugs, he doesn't see why they would, especially since few people know what Digimon are capable of. "Takatomon! I'm flying! Weeeee…" Guilmon says as his partner gently moves through the air, this cause people to pause to stare up at his partner, then they shrug it off as a Halloween prank and return to watching the entrance of the haunted house.

'_It couldn't get away worst, right?'_ He thinks, only for something to be sent plummeting out of a window. He gasps as he realise that it's Tai that's falling… only to watch as black wings grow out of Tai's back and for Tai to pull up at the last minute. He watches as Tai circles the building, his eyes roll and he black outs, overwhelmed by a floating partner and a flying older brother.

(-Tai-)

He blinks as he circles the building; he had been hit hard by a Digimon that had appeared on the top floor. He had been sent out of the window and had been plummeting towards the ground when he allowed his panic to get the best of him; he finds his back hurting and out comes a pair of black feathered wings.

He then notices that Guilmon also seems to be defying gravity, only from what he can tell, Guilmon seems to have some kind of soft glow around his form. He then glances around for Takato, he then notices TK kneeling down before a 'blond' in an orange jumper. _'That would be Takato.'_ He thinks to himself and he glances at his left wing and then at his right one. He doesn't understand what happened, only that his sword isn't on him. He notices it on a ledge. He bites his lower lip, he then alters his flight path so he can grab it as well as land by Takato and TK.

"Tai! I'm flying too!" Guilmon says, most likely just noticing him. He doesn't have time to answer the rookie, he just entered into a dive and he's kind of surprised to find that he can keep his eyes open with all the rushing wind that's moving pass his face as he speeds downwards. As he comes close to the sword, he reaches out with is right and as he passes by he snags the strap. He then pulls the sword and arm close to his body; he opens his wings a little and stretches them out in order to direct his flight path.

As he lands just behind TK, he wonders how it was that he knows how to do the things he does. He just sighs and wills his wings to vanish, which they did and his shirt and jacket return to normal. Screams come out of the building, from the very floor he had been tossed out of. He sighs and notices that Guilmon's already entering into the haunted house through the window he crashed through. He glances down to where Takato is and then back at the haunted house.

"Well, I guess it's just too much for him." He muses as he hears the sounds of battle coming from that floor of the haunted house. "Could you blame him? First Guilmon is floating around like a ghost and then you're thrown out of that window and grow wings as you plummet to the earth. You pull up and then circle around the building on your black wings." TK pauses and then asks, "Where did you get your costume anyways?" He chuckles nervously as he runs a hand through his black hair. "Should we be trying to get Takato up so he can help Guilmon?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Right…" TK trails off, apparently not liking that he was changing the subject. At this moment he wishes that their partners hadn't been so against joining them this evening, they wouldn't have to worry about what to do if someone's knocked out. It took about three minutes for Takato to stir and to finally wake up. "What happened? I thought I saw you flying around on black wings… That happened didn't it?" Takato asks. He nods and Takato just sighs and gets up off the ground. "But how? I mean, you couldn't have known I meant for Cro to have wings…" Takato wonders, studying him. He blinks in surprise. "You mean you drew Cro but didn't add wings to him?" He asks. "There were feathers around him; I was kind of depressed when I drew him, that's why he looked so depressed and lonely. I was just drawing with my feelings and an idea of what I wanted to draw." His adopted sibling answers.

They glance up and they watch as Guilmon floats out of the wall and then charges back in, just phasing through the solid object. "Ok, that's just plain weird, it's like he's really his own ghost…" Takato muses to himself. "So Guilmon has some how became his own costume? I wonder how that happened?" TK asks, looking pointy at him. At that moment did he realise how much TK and Matt were alike. He laughs nervously, kind of glad that none of the other Digidestine were around to add their two cents into this conversation.

Through that window that he was thrown out of, comes Guilmon and some skeleton creature. He blinks and begins to wonder where that demonic looking Digimon went. "Ok, that wasn't what had thrown me out of the window…" He says as Guilmon lets go of the being and it smashes into the ground. "Maybe the weirdness with vanish when your costume vanishes." Takato suggests and he blinks as he stares at his little brother. _'This was just a test for Gennai… The first time he's used it so of course there were bugs! Ok, how do I end this right now?'_ He thinks to himself as he tries to think of everything that happened earlier, before he came here.

He slaps himself mentally and takes out his Digivice. He adjusts the time; he waits until Guilmon's back inside of the haunted house before setting the time. A minute later, all of the damages were reversed as well as he returns to looking to what he did when he arrived at Gennai's. He notices that both of the teens were eyeing him, he scratches the back of his head, not really comfortable with their stern looks. He sighs and wonders if he could get them to keep quiet about this until he has time to think about this a bit more deeply…

(-TK-)

He glances around the group, it's been two days since Halloween and he still wonders why Gennai would create that machine that allows for those cloths that you normally call forth when you enter the Digital World and allows them to remain with you when you go back to the real world. He also wonders if the effects weren't what caused some of those robots to become 'alive', at least until Tai's Digivice said it was midnight…

He glances to where the Digimon were, Guilmon's at the center telling the others about his time as his own ghost and about his fight with some of those 'alive' monster robots. He did admit that Guilmon handled the situation pretty well, especially since Takato had fainted for a few minutes. He notices Kari out of the corner of his eye, he bites his lower lip as he notice her staring at him.

He likes Kari, he really does but he's kind of afraid of altering the relationship that they have. He also didn't want to end up like his parents, divorced. He glances over at Matt, wondering if Matt shares his fears about those kinds of relationships as well.

He glances to where Ken, Yolei, and Davis were, he calls them his friends but he's much closer to Kari and Takato, but then, he's known them far longer then the other members around his age. He knows that Yolei and Kari were close, most likely because they're both girls, which was fine, since he tended to have Takato to hang out with. He blinks as he realises just how much he relied on Takato for company, he knows that Takato accepted him for who he is and as well as trusts him not to hurt Kari.

'_I guess I'll just have to get use to spending time with Ken and Davis. Like Takato said, he's not going to be around forever…'_ He thinks to himself, kind of depressed at the very thought that in a few months, Takato will be leaving them. He glances to where his friend is sitting, Takato's chatting with Izzy about computer graphics and how to work Photo Shop.

"Ok, quiet it down people, quiet it down." Mimi says and they all turn towards the teen. "Anyway, since there was so much excitement on Halloween, I forgot to tell you that Yolei and I have decided that we're going to make a movie. We'll be using the haunted house for scenes, since it's going to be centered around a medieval castle. We had also recruited Gennai for customs as well as permission to use parts of the Digital world. Ken's already agreed to be our director, so all we need is a script and actors." Mimi tells them, he blinks in surprise, wondering what to make of this.

To Readers:

I would like to thank a friend of mine for helping me decide on most of the Digidestine costumes, the only two I picked out were Tai's and Matt's. So thanks for your help Kata, or DeathEmperorDaeron. Also would like to say thanks to everyone who's reading this and a special thanks goes out to those of you that have taken time to review as well.

To be continued …


	14. L&H Presents: Looming Shadows P1

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 14

He studies the list of what Mimi and Yolei wanted to be in their movie. He glances over to where TK is, his friend's head is on the desk top, it seems that TK seems to be stumped on what kind of story to write for this movie. He sighs as once he reads the list out loud, "Number one Medievalism setting, we need to use the haunted house! Number two romance, number three scary bad guys, and number three really cute looking good guys."

TK bangs his head on the table; he shakes his head at the list. "Not to descriptive, is it?" He says to his blond friend. Patamon seems to sigh, most likely echoing TK's mood. He doesn't need to look at Gigimon to know that his partner's fast asleep; he can hear the gentle snorts from where he's standing. "I can't believe they expect you to have something by the end of this week." He says, once more TK bangs his head against the desk, clearly agreeing with him.

"It can't be that hard to come up with something, could it?" Patamon asks, TK and him turn and stare at the orange Digimon. Patamon shifts uncomfortably under their gaze, clearly not liking their looks. "Maybe we should have the hero as something other then human?" He suggests, after a few minutes. TK glances at him, frowning. "Ok, so do an angel or something?" TK says, clearly not liking the thought of the hero being an angel.

"How about something that's slightly more animal, but still looks human? You know, mimic animal ears as well as a few other features light slit eyes and thick nails. You know, do something along those lines." He says, shrugging off the look TK had sent his way. TK blinks and seems to think about it. "That would be easy to write and easier for Mimi to get the person to dress up as." TK muses out loud. "What of the villain?" He asks.

TK smirks before turning away; his friend pulls the key board towards himself. "He'll definitely be human." TK says, he notices how TK's already jotting ideas for a plot down. He's eyes raise at the mention of jealousy of nonhumans among the notes. The concept of a forward plot coming together, he also noticed gryphons and Minotaurs for mythical species. He moves to get a better view of the computer screen.

He nods thoughtfully as he once TK finishes with the jot notes. "How about we list some names for the possible Hero and Villain?" He suggests. TK snorts and nods, they then brainstorm names between them. They soon had a few good names and were trying to decide between them. For the names of the hero, they had Akarui, Akel, Sekishoku, and Kuranos as their favorites. Names for the villain, they have Kraken, Saya, Ryuken, and Takeryn. They weren't too worried about the names of the friends or minions of the two; they'll cross that bridge when they come to it.

He lies on TK's bed, Patamon moved to allow him to climb on. Patamon rests on TK's shoulder as the blond types away on the computer. By supper they had a rough draft of the story, he had also begun on the storyboards sketches to show Ken and them tomorrow, after school. Davis is in charge of recruiting extras for the movie as Matt's to come up with the music for it. Mimi and Yolei seem to think they could do this within four to five months, he wonders if they're being too optimistic for the project. _'It's not mine problem. I do wonder who'll be casted in the leads though.'_ He muses as they head out of the room to eat supper that TK's mother made for them. Gigimon riding on his shoulder, mimicking Patamon in that regarded.

(-Tai-)

He sighs as he looks through the script, he wonders just how it was that he ended up as the heroic Akarui, what's even weirder is that Gennai got the part of the lead villain Saya. He snicker at the fact that Takato landed the part of the yet to be named white furred Minotaur that's Akarui's best friend on the journey to stop Saya's plot to dominate the nonhumans by transforming into a demon. Most of the good guys were nonhumans, very different then the norm.

He sighs as finds himself before the machine that caused the incident about two weeks ago. He flips to the second page of the script, it shows what Akarui looks like and he wonders if his senses would be heighten while he's in costume. He also wonders how he's to act when he's interacting with Kelth, Akarui's empathic pet.

He knows that Izzy will use the sketches that Takato has made of the little beast to add him in to the movie, it's just that he's never pretended to see something that's not there. He's kind of worried that he'll make a complete ass out of himself in those scenes with Kelth. He blinks as he hits something white. He backs up a step and looks up into the face of what appears to be a bull or cow. "Takato?" He asks, gawking at the bull man. The ears twitch in annoyance and a deep voice says flatly, "Tai."

He hears giggles and they both turn to find their respective sibling chuckling at their encounter. "How tall are you?" He asks, he notices that Davis is currently on the pad with Cody waiting patiently for his turn. "I think about eight feet." Takato says dryly. He studies Takato's 'costume' slowly. He notices the harass that Takato's wearing, he takes note of the navy blue leather pants that Takato's wearing was well as the mace that's hanging on the belt.

He then turns his attention to Takato's face; he notices that the black mane of hair has that the two braids have beads woven in. The horns were pointed straight and that around Takato's neck is a necklace with a gem pendent. He takes note of the fact that Takato has two fingers and a thumb on each hand now. He looks down at the large black hooves that Takato has. He whistles, surprised by the detail that Takato had done for the Minotaur, even though Takato hadn't known that he'd be casted at the white Minotaur.

He moves and turns to see if Davis is done, he doesn't know who Davis got cast as, but then, they were going to be filming the attack on the village that had been Akarui's home, which means that Davis might end up as either a knight or one of the Azchon, the teen looking humanoids with fox ears and other features of said animal. He blinks as a slightly shorter Davis steps off the pad. He studies Davis's new features and blinks as the animal ears move upwards, he notices that Davis seems surprised and the ears then drop back to their original position.

Davis's hair colour was now a chestnut brown then his usual maroon colour. Davis's eye hadn't changed much, just that the pupils were more slit then normal. Davis's looks were a mix of sharpness and childish chubbiness, making Davis look cute and adorable. Davis's cloths were that of a simple green vest, no undershirt, brown linen pants, and dark brown boots. He notices the thick nails that were on each finger, Davis seems to be testing to see if they're sharp enough to break his skin.

Cody steps lightly onto the pad and soon those rings of light ascend and descend around Cody's form. He turns and studies Kari, he asks Takato, "Kari's…?" Davis snorts and answers before his adopted brother turned Minotaur answers, "Knight." He snorts and looks at Takato to confirm it, Takato nods his white bull head in agreement with what Davis said. "She's going to dress up as a Guy?!" He exclaims.

He turns to see if Kari heard his shout, Kari's face is redden meaning she hear him. He hangs his head and Takato pats him, he notices that Takato's a great deal stronger as his shoulder aches after the two pats. "Sorry, I don't know my own strength just yet." Takato says in an apologetic tone. He nods and the pair head off to where they need to be.

He returns to watching Cody on the pad, his hand fumbles the card in his pocket, the one he's suppose to put into a card slot before standing on the pad. He watches as subtle changes occur, like Cody getting taller and more muscle. His cloths were also undergoing changes as well, in time they became a suit of armour. He raises an eyebrow as he notices Cody's features were still undergoing some changes. _'Cody got the part of Saya's main minion, if I remember… so duh, he's going to have a more detailed costume. General Martin Stormram is the character's name. I wonder when they'll settle on a name for Takato's character?'_ He muses to himself.

Soon it's his turn; he steps onto the pad after he inserts his card. He puts his script onto the table that's by the machine. He once more feels light headedness as the rings of light scan his body. He wonders how many times he'll have to use this machine to put on his custom as he waits for the machine to finish dressing him up.

(-TK-)

He studies the pictures of Kelth, the Skivie bonded mentally to Akarui. For the movie, Skivies were dog like beasts with large ears, short muzzle, and a small horn on the forehead. They stand between three feet to three feet and three quarters of a foot tall at the shoulder. They were emphatic beasts that were about as intelligent as a three year old. Their fur ranges from snow white to jet black; they could also have tiger stripes to leopard spots coats.

Kelth's colouring is going to be pure white with blue colouring his ear tips and his right forepaw is going to have a blue sock. The inch long horn located on Kelth's forehead is going to be blue fading into white. Big silvery blue coloured eyes. He sighs as he glances at the other drawings of some of the other Skivie that his friend has made. He glances to where Izzy is sitting in front of the computer. On the computer screen is a frame of wires that's the frame of the Shivie, Izzy already has the gryphon models up and running, it had taken longer for Mimi and Yolei to agree on what a Shivie should look like, Takato had drawn five other kinds of beasts that could have been used, two of which had been fliers.

He watches as slowly Izzy adds bones and then muscle tissue onto the frame of bones. Next Izzy does skin, the ears appear at this point and he glances from the drawing to the computer image. Izzy too glances at a drawing to his right, checking to make sure it looks like its printed counter part. Izzy does some adjustments to the tail and ear structure, and then Izzy begins on the fur coat. He leans in, clearly interested in this part of the process.

It's just Izzy and him in the room, the others were out filming the movie, it had taken a whole month for them to decide on what a Shivie is and thus Izzy hasn't gotten around to having anything done for the digital beast race. He's here mostly because he stated that he would want to make sure that Izzy got Takato's drawings of Shivie onto the computer without too much mishap. This got him out of him getting to play soldier number twelve or something like that.

He sighs as he reflects on how many of the extras were of the partnered kids with Digimon. _'But then, the dressing machine works best if you have a Digivice of any kind, which kind of means that it's just plain easier to have those with Digivices willing to work on this film for free, or for a certain percentage if theatres are willing to show it. I wonder how many people would be willing to go to a movie that's not only starring the Digidestine kids, but also made by them?'_ He wonders to himself as Izzy continues to tweak the 3D model on the computer screen.

He sighs as he hopes that the gifts he had been able to buy during the few days he could get away from the movie set would be good enough to give out to his friends and family. He wonders if the others have bought their Christmas gifts yet, he sighs and decides that it's not his problem to point out how many days until Christmas. He wouldn't blame any of them if they forgot, they're all become kind of absorbed into making this movie. _'Looming Shadows.'_ He thinks to himself as he flips to the front page of the script.

The 'company' that's producing Looming Shadows is called Lancer and Heart. They really didn't want the 'company' to be called Mimi and Co., the other choices were Lost Adventures, Digital Star, and, for some really odd reason, Thin Claw. The last came from the Digimon; he believes that it might have been Guilmon that coined that title.

Thinking about the Digimon, he wonders what it was that they're doing while they're occupied with making this film. He had noticed Calumon hanging around as well; he wonders if they were playing any of Calumon's rule changing games, he still remembers some of Calumon's versions of Basketball. He sighs, already feeling the beginnings of a headache happening just by thinking about those rules that Calumon came up with.

He shakes his head, hoping to get rid of his thoughts on that subject. He glances at the clock; he's surprise to notice that Izzy has been at it for about four hours now. He glances to the 3D image on the computer, his stomach growls. He puts his left hand over his middle; Izzy pauses and looks at him questioningly until Izzy's stomach echoes his. "Snack break?" He asks and Izzy nods, Izzy saves his work and turns off the screen. They head out of the room and towards where the mess hall is.

The building had only been in existence since they began filming in the Digital world, he doesn't know how Gennai built it over night, especially since Takato had only revealed which area they'd be filming about two days after Mimi's announcement, Takato had searched through the Digital World the day after his friend helped him with the beginnings of the story. It seemed that Takato used the Digi Ports to jump from one area to another without having to head to the real world. It saved his friend a great deal of time and energy.

He notices that there were a few Digimon lingering in the cafeteria, mostly talking animatedly among themselves. They paused as they hear Izzy and him walk in, but then returned to talking among themselves. "I wonder where the other Digimon are." He wonders to Izzy, the young genius shrugs as the red head says, "Probably watching either one of the filming sites." He nods in agreement as they head into the back room, there isn't any regular staff for the cafeteria, so they usually get to make their own snack, unless some people decide to cook something for everyone to eat. He had to admit that Tai, Kari, and Takato were quite a cooking team. He smiles slightly as he remembers those turkeys and that huge castle cake… His stomach growls at the memory of that night as he walks up to one of the many fridges in the kitchen.

(-Kari-)

Her ears twitch as she hears someone walk up from behind. She's currently dressed up as an Azchon, the humans with fox like features. She turns her head and finds Takato dressed up as Ryouji Frostmaul standing there. She sighs once more finds herself looking up at her adopted brother. "Why couldn't I play a Minotaur?" She mutters to herself out loud.

"Don't know, but I'm tired of having people make cracks about the weather and about my diet." Takato grumbles. She chuckles at this, knowing perfectly well that Takato doesn't like being one of the regulars on the film. Takato would prefer to be one of the extras then to be one of the main cast members. She smiles as Takato sends her a glare. "Oh come on, it's been about three months since we've started and you still haven't accepted that nobody's going to replace you? We're almost done filming." She says, her adopted brother simply sighs and she watches as her brother's ears perk up and scan the area for some noise that Takato picked up.

"I notice you worn TK's Christmas gift this morning." Takato says, changing the subject. She blushes at TK's name, she tries to think of a way to derail the conversation that's about to happen. She really doesn't want to discus her love life with one of her _brothers_. _'Even though he's the one that talked Tai out of laying out the ground rules with TK.'_ She thinks to herself.

Then a thought crossed her mind, it's more like turning the tables on her brother. "I wonder what Rika would like for a Christmas present." She says, trying to sound causally about it. Takato's head jerks slightly and the white Minotaur's jaw drops open, she does what she could do to school her facial features, only allowing a small grin on her face. "Maybe a kiss under the mistletoe?" She adds lightly, Takato just sighs and looks off into space. She hadn't expected that kind of response to that statement.

She rubs the back of her neck, not sure what to do when Takato's acting like this. "Come this spring break, I will most likely be back at my parent's bakery." Takato says softly. She blinks and then nods, suddenly feeling like a jerk by bringing up Rika.

"Well, maybe you'll visit during the holidays? It just doesn't seem right that you head back and don't even get to visit us. I know that I'll miss you, a lot. We're so close and I can't really picture my life without you around to tease me or to be there to support me. I know that Tai and TK will, but it just won't be the same…" She says, looking at some tree trunk then at her brother. "Yea, it will be different. I won't have any siblings to hang out with, sure I could hang with Henry, but it wouldn't be the same. I'll also miss the others too, like watching Matt and Tai try and impress Sora or watching TK and your interactions as you stumble along with your relationship." Takato says, he grins as he says the last bit about her and TK.

"I wouldn't mind watching you stumble around in your own relationship." She says dryly and Takato chuckles at that. "You just have to keep rubbing it in, don't you?" She grumbles. "I have plenty of ammo." Takato replies cheekily. She punches Takato in the middle, she couldn't reach his chest. "Ouch." Takato says, she just snorts and rolls her eyes, knowing full well that the little punch couldn't have hurt her brother.

Before she could say anything, Davis's voice rings out saying that the break is over, she wonders what the final produce of all this hard work is going to look like, she knows that Izzy will most likely get help from Yolei and Cody when time comes to add the gryphons and such. Matt's still busy recording music, which should be finish by the time they're done filming and Izzy is ready to add special effects. She also can't help but wonder why Mimi and Yolei wanted to make a film now as well as want to finish it as soon as they can.

)-(

She stretches as she tries not to fall asleep. They had finished filming the movie about three weeks ago, leaving Izzy, Ken, Yolei, Matt, and Cody to go through what has been filmed, to add the music and the special effects, and then edit it. All she knows is that all five of them haven't been getting enough sleep, seem to be living off of fast food and coffee in order to put the finishing touches on the movie they're about to watch.

She still doesn't understand why they had to be here for 7:00 am, especially on a Saturday, but she shouldn't complain since Izzy, Ken, Yolei, Matt, and Cody look ready to fall asleep even though they're standing upright. Mimi had been busy trying to get a hold of the equipment that will copy the film onto DVDs as well as looking around for a theatre to rent so they could watch it on the big screen.

She glances to her right; Takato seems to be studying Gennai. She glances at the Digital human, wondering just how Mimi and Yolei talked him into being a part of the movie in the first place. She sighs and glances at Tai, who's to her left. She's not surprised to notice that her blood brother is staring at Sora. She looks for TK and finds that TK's sitting with Davis and Matt. She notices that Jun's here, Davis's sister. She had noticed that some of the kids had brought their parents to the showing; she noticed that Nancy, TK and Matt's mom, was also here, she can see her talking with some of the other parents.

Soon people quiet down as Mimi comes into the theatre. Those that had been standing around headed to their seats as Ken, Izzy, Matt, Yolei, and Cody walk over to where Mimi is standing. They're all tense as they wait for the pink haired teen to begin. "Thank you all for coming! I know it's early, but I promise it's worth it. Yolei and I had been thinking about doing this since we started work on the haunted house. A good friend of ours will be departing this year and we wanted to do something special before he moves back to his home city. So we decided that making a movie was a perfect way to make his last few months with us enjoyable as well as have something to fall back on when we miss him."

She could tell that Mimi had looked pointly at Takato when she mentioned someone departing back to their home city. Mimi then concludes, "So I hope you all enjoy this, for it'll be the first and last film made by the whole group of Chosen children." She notices that instead of Digidestine, Mimi used chosen, which in its own way covers Takato as much as it does the rest of the group. "I also believe a great round of applause to Izzy, Ken, Matt, Yolei, and Cody for working non-stop in order to put the finishing touches on the movie," Mimi claps her hands and soon they all are, the startled looks on their faces made her smile. They shift their weight around; clearly unsure about what to do with all of the attention they were receiving.

The lights dim and Mimi wraps it up by saying, "So enjoy the show and thank you, all of you for participating in filming a Lancer and Heart production." Mimi sits down as does the group of five that had put the finishing touches on the film.

)-(

Akarui remembers the raid on his clan's settlement. It was around noon, he was hanging with Rujish and Ketuke, their Shivie were rough housing before them. Kelth, his bonded Shivie had teamed up with both of Ketuke's bonded Shivie to attack the larger Shivie that's bonded to Rujish.

It was their partners that paused in their play; they all look off to the east, their ears forward and bodies stiff. From his bond with Kelth, he felt confusion and then terror from Shivie, this alerts him and his two friends. The white Shivie glances at him, as if hoping that he could do explain what's happening. He glances around, his members of his family were coming out of their huts, glancing eastward, some of the younger Shivie diving into the huts, as if that would protect them from what they're feeling.

The older members of the Crimsonfangs were heading to the main hut, where their clan relic rests with their shaman, old Takel and her two apprentices live. He leads Rujish and Ketuke to the hut as he sends comforting feelings to Kelth. He notices that his father and uncles were handing out weapons, swords and battle axes.

"What's going on?" He asks his dad's elder brother. "Human raiding party. Hurg saw signs a scouting party about two days ago. We didn't think about it too much, thinking they might be after those Minotaur traders that showed up a few days ago." He bites his lower lip, a sinking feeling in his gut as he takes a sword from his uncle. He heads out with Kelth following him; he joins his elder cousin, Levii. "I don't like this, Levii. Why are they coming here? We haven't done anything to them!" His younger cousin, Geklar asks Levii. "There's not explaining why humans do what they do. All we have to worry about is holding them off while the children and elderly evacuate." Levii says before looking around at them all. Levii strokes her bonded Shivie, Urge.

One of his cousin's partner Shivie growls, he perks his ears up and they soon get their first glimpses of the human raiders. Soon chaos erupts as Azchon of the Crimsonfangs engage in combat. Shivie evade the human's attempts of killing them, allowing the Crimsonfang clan of Azchons time to attack them. It doesn't take long before the leathered armoured humans to ignore the Shivie.

He watches as some of his cousins, aunts, and uncles fall prey to the wounds they received from the raiders. Their partner Shivie come to their defense, this allowed for the Azchon lines to surge forward, pushing the group of soldiers back. He can hear one of his distance relatives shout orders on how to move the injured from behind the lines.

Then the humans covered in metal armour come charging in on horse back, pole-arms lowered. They speared quite a few of his clan mates, they were forced to retreat as one of the more decorative humans on horse back shout out orders in their native tongue. Then the man, since humans have this odd thing about gender, charges towards the main hut. He pushes the human he was engaging back and takes aim at the man with his belt knife. His knife falls harmlessly off the metal armour it hit.

He feels a sharp pain in his arm; he clutches it as he turns to face the man that's attacking him. Kelth knocks the human off balance and he uses his left hand to bring his sword into play. His swing almost cuts off the human's head; the man drops his sword as he clutches the front of his neck. Blood continues to pore out of the wound; he turns away and once more is defending himself from an attacking human.

He hears something from behind him, he turns his head and out of the corner of his eye he sees the human in decorated armour coming out of the main hut, the man is carrying something in his arms. The man shouts something and a horn blows, the human raiders begin to retreat. He watches as his clan mate try and retrieve the relic from the leader of the raiders.

The man cuts his family members down with his sword; he couldn't help but wonder where the man's pole-arm is as the humans retreat from the direction they came from. He drops his weapon and races into the main hut, he moves around the fallen as he crosses the distances between the main hut and him. He enters and pales as he notices the spear like weapon lodge in shaman Takel's chest, Felder and Aldar were both unconscious with minor wounds themselves. Kelth rubs his head on his left him, trying to comfort him. He hears others walk into the hut; he hears their gasps, horrified by what happened to Takel.

He feels something wet hit his sandaled foot; he touches his face to find tears running down his face. He doesn't know who pulled him away; he just knows that someone had as he's still in shock about the fate of kind old Takel.

)-(

Saya Blackmoon studies the object that General Stormram had brought back from a raid on an Azchon's village. He glances at his sorcerer, a dark smirk gracing his handsome face. "Well? Will this suffice wizard?" He asks in a cold tone. He hands it into the waiting hands of his personal magus. "Indeed it will, my lord, indeed it will." The ancient sorcerer murmur as he clutch the piece of redwood with Azchon runes on it, clearly hoping to figure out how to make something similar before they use it in the ritual of Becoming.

He only smears at the old man, finding the man's antics amusing. He then turns away from the scene, he heads out of the study that he had allowed the sorcerer to have. His navy blue cloak swirling as he pulls it around him as he exits the room and enter into the hall. He doesn't say a word to the guards posted before the sorcerer's quarters. He walks through the underground hall, lamps of oil burning as he walks towards the stair case. He can't wait for the new moon, he could practically hear the screams of his victims as he torments them slowly, savouring their fear.

To Readers:

I would like to thank my friends Sora and Kata, AKA DeathEmperorDaeron, for their support of this movie idea that I came up with for this story. I probably would have just gone straight to something that wouldn't have been as challenging as having them, the Digidestine and Takato, make and produce their own movie. I hope you guys enjoy this bit of story, I did want to do something different and what I perceive as unique. Once more I would like to thank you for reading this and applaud those of you that continue to take time to review as well. Hope to hear what you think as well, see you all later, bye for now!

To be continued …


	15. L&H Presents: Looming Shadows P2

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 15

Akarui Crimsonfang strokes Kelth's silky white fur, the Shivie sighs in contentment as feelings of happiness and enjoyment flow through his empathic bond they share. The blue tips of Kelth's ears easy to spot in firelight, he glances around the campsite. He turns as he hears something walk towards them, he watches as the tall white figure of Ryouji Frostmaul walks into camp with a deer sling over one of the Minotaur's shoulders, firewood tucked under the other arm.

Kelth turns an ear in Ryouji's direction, before relaxing further under his petting. He states, "Quiet out there." Ryouji nods his horned head in agreement. "I didn't ever hear an owl hoot. That's troubling." The white Minotaur says. He blinks and then frowns; it's been about five years since the attack on his clan and when their relic had been stolen by the human raiders. He met up with Ryouji about two months after the raid, he had slipped into a river and fallen over a waterfall, Ryouji had found him and took care of him when he came down with a fever.

Turns out Ryouji had been on a quest of his own when the Minotaur encountered him, Ryouji hales from the far north and had come seeking a Hyoushin that is said to have strayed south, and to use Ryouji's terms, in to these 'summer' lands. It seems that Ryouji's been searching for about three years before the white furred Minotaur and him met, he didn't have a problem with helping Ryouji on his quest if Ryouji wouldn't mind helping him try and retrieve his clan's relic.

He has come to terms with the fact that the humans had done something to the idol of Balance, especially since he had spoken with a hermit shaman to inquire about the location of the idol. The shaman had only shaken his grey head and told him that it wasn't felt in this plane of existence. He hadn't liked to hear that, so his aim had changed to learn why it had been stolen in the first place and what happened to it as well.

He glances around at the ruined hut they had stumbled upon just before evening. They had found the pervious resident and given him a proper burial. He had noticed the strange prints under some of the ruin thatch roof, marks not made by Gryphons or any beast they've encountered before.

"I still don't understand why a human that old was living out here in the first place. Don't humans respect their elderly?" He wonders, one more bringing up what might have happened to the pervious resident. Ryouji looks thoughtful, even if Akarui couldn't see Ryouji's face, he knows the Minotaur enough to know the kind of face Ryouji is wearing. "I've been thinking about those symbols that had been on those scraps of paper. I think they might have been some kind of wards, which means that the old one was educated in the ways of magic. I think that an old experiment might have finally caught up with him, heaths the unknown prints." The northern born Minotaur says.

His ears flicker at the mention of the mythical arts, he glances down at his sleeping partner, Kelth. He relaxes, trusting Kelth's ability to sense danger and to warn them in time so that they're not ambushed. He looks down at his partner, he's glad that the Azchon came up with the Shivie, at times it seems like Kelth's the only anchor he has that connects who he had been to who he is now.

"You think we'll encounter whatever it was that killed the elder then?" He asks, trying to keep his concern out of his tone. Ryouji turns his head and replies, "Most likely. While the elder's been dead for quiet some time, I do believe that nobody has yet to find this beast and kill it. So we might very well encounter it if we spend enough time in this part of human territory." He sighs and glances off into the distance, to where the human keep is located. He runs a hand through his red hair, gently over his left ear. Kelth stirs slightly as his partner picks up his unease and he sends reassuring emotions through his mental bond with the white Shivie.

)-(

Saya Blackmoon hasn't been in a good mood since he learnt that his transforms isn't complete. It had also taken him about four years to find that incompetent sorcerer he had hired. His expression darkens as he remembers just where the old man had been living, just a few kilometres away from the keep.

His muscles throb; he pauses and begins to reign in his emotions, mostly his anger and bitterness that he felt when he realises just how the ancient wizard had shown him up by remaining practically under his very nose. Once more he has to reign in his anger and bitterness at the fact that he spent so much time and money in searching far and wide for that bastard, only to find him living in flight distances of the keep.

It helped ease his anger and bitterness that the old man died by his claws, he even received a bit of information about the final piece he needs to make his state stable. "General." He says without looking to his side, knowing that the man in charge of his guards has taken it into his head to become his personal shadow. "My lord, we have word of that bird you spoke of. I have already dispatched a group to retrieve the egg you spoke of." The General tells him, he nods without looking at the man as he watches a match between a captive Azchon and a feral born Gryphon, the Azchon didn't have a weapon but has already lasted for a good ten minutes against the winged beast. He smirks as the brown and grey Gryphon lunges suddenly, catching the pitiful black haired Azchon off guard. Within a few minutes, the Azchon is dead and the guards began to capture the Gryphon and lead it back to it's cage.

)-(

Kaylin Copperstar wasn't having the best day today; in fact she's sure that this day still had time to become the worst day in her whole life as she runs away with the unconscious ice bird, a Hyoushin if memory serves her correctly, at her chest. She hadn't been able to save either the Hyoushin's egg or her partner Shivie when she stumbled across the band of humans and they mythical bird that had been trying to defend her sole egg in the nest of ice.

While she mourns Farli, her tan and red partner Shivie, she wasn't about to let the humans kill off the mother of the egg that they're stealing. Arrows wiz pass her, she weaves through the dense forest as to keep their archers from getting a clear aim. Her chest feels cold, but she continues to move away from her attackers and where her parents and siblings were, she doesn't want to lead them to her family, she couldn't stand it if she had to watch the cruel humans kill her siblings and parents before her very eyes.

She finds herself before a river; she pauses and perks her ears up to listen for anyone pursuing her. After a few minutes, she relaxes as she leans on the tree behind her. She then holds the ice bird in front of her, studying the mythical bird of ice, not sure what to make of a creature of myth and legend. "You're so cold, but then you are a Hyoushin." She then frowns as she says out loud, "I thought your kind preferred the far north, where it's always cold and covered in snow. Also, where's your mate?" She sighs, knowing that the unconscious Hyoushin can't answer any of her questions.

Her face fell as she remembers Farli and how she had died. She looks to where the river is, she didn't want to leave just yet, she doesn't think that them humans would give up just like that, so she remains quiet as time passes. She just hopes that her family is alright, she had already lost her partner, she didn't know what she'd to if her family were killed on the same day.

)-(

Ryouji has this odd feeling that something terrible had just happened and Akarui's worried about his friend as it seems that the Minotaur seems distracted as they're hiking towards the main road; they stop once more as Ryouji faces a different direction. "It's getting closer." Ryouji states, which causes him to blink in surprise.

Then the white northern born Minotaur takes off at a run, he gasps and then tears off after his friend, wondering what they're going to encounter as he notices that Ryouji's mace in his right hand, he takes out his short sword and prepares for a fight. Ryouji shouts out his war cry as the white Minotaur enters into a clearing, he's surprised at to find a small band of humans within the clearing.

Before the humans recover, Ryouji has already killed two of them, their head creaked open by Ryouji's mace. The humans try and surround Ryouji, they haven't even looked at him as they either didn't think him a threat or didn't know he was even there. He cuts down the human that was attempting to sneak away, the remaining seven humans attack his friend, Ryouji easily evading their attacks.

He watches his friend take them on head on, he only shakes his head at the human's stupidity, as if they think that numbers would insure them victory. He's seen Ryouji fight in one verses twelve trained knights on horse back, watching Ryouji take on seven leather armoured humans on foot wouldn't be that difficult for the Minotaur. Under four minutes, three had been sent into the trees they had come from, two of the humans were down and out, not even breathing, and the last is attempting to run, Ryouji throws his mace at the fleeing human, hitting the man in the back. Some sounds of broken bones could be heard as the man falls forward on the ground, dead from the flying mace.

He glances at the humans that had been thrown against the trees, wondering if he should tie them up so they could question them later. He then glances at the oddly shaped pouch that's hanging on the back of the human who he killed. He takes it from the corpse and opens the bag. He gasps and Ryouji turns towards him.

"It's a Hyoushin egg." Ryouji says in awe, he blinks and looks between his friend's face and the silvery white egg with small grey spots; Kelth sniffs the corpse and then looks up at the egg, clearly wondering why they're gawking at it like they were. From his link with the white Shivie, he could tell that Kelth didn't seem too interested in the egg, he holds the egg to his partner and the white furred Shivie just sniffs the egg before going up to each human, sniffing them each before returning to his side.

"I though this bird that you've been tracking was single." Akarui states, Ryouji sighs and glances his way. "It is, but that doesn't mean she hadn't mated before she was blown off course. The egg usually stays within the mother for usual a whole year, sometimes something could happen and the mother Hyoushin will keep the egg within her for even longer, even over five years, we don't know how the mother does it, just that it happens. But the important thing is that about three months of being laid, the egg will hatch and the chick will be fine, even if the mother kept the egg within her for over the usual year." Ryouji tells him, he looks from the chilly egg in his hands to Ryouji. "So this egg could hatch at any time then?" He asks, studying the way the air around the surface of the shell seems to become slightly visible.

"So if the egg is here, then does that mean that they …" He trails off, not wanting to continue. Kelth whines slightly from the emotions that were floating around between Ryouji and himself. Ryouji's expression darkens and the Minotaur then studies the human bodies. "They would have brought the body along, if only to cut it up and sell it for vast amounts of money. No, the mother's out there, somewhere, most likely injured." Ryouji says at last, not really looking in his direction.

"You think they're carrying a map?" He asks while Kelth rubs his head against his leg; he scratches Kelth behind the ears. "They'd have to." Ryouji says and then the Minotaur glances at the human corpses with a calculating look. Then Ryouji moves to the one with the red cap, most likely deciding that that one was the leader of the out fit. He carefully puts the egg back into the pouch and shoulders the strap; he glances at the human, wondering if they should bury the bodies or to set them ablaze…

)-(

Saya grips the arm of his chair; his muscles were already undergoing the transformation as he glares angrily at the man before him. General Stormram hauls the man away, as he stands up. He grabs the hard wood table and throws it into the right stone wall, the weight not even troubling his ability to toss the table into the wall. "Out!" Saya roars to his guards, they leave, most likely fearful that they might end up like the table…

He watches as his nails thicken and sharpen as his arms also begin to bulge as his skin changes colour and texture. He can already feel the other muscles beginning to swell and already his ribs were cracking as they begin to space out. He's blood sings with an unusual mixture of power as his body structure begins to alter. He stares up at the ceiling as his cloths begin to stretch under the pressure of his transformation, a cruel smirk plastered on Saya's face.

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang studies the Azchon family they have come across; Ryouji's currently looking the mother Hyoushin over with Kaylin Copperstar hovering by Hyoushin's side through the examination. Kaylin's parents and elder siblings were wary of his white furred Minotaur friend and travel partner. He doesn't really blame the Copperstars for being so wary of the northern born Minotaur, Azchon and the beings that look like human bull hybrids didn't always see eye to eye when it comes to their ideas of what to do with humans.

Luckily the relations between the two races never lead to any kind of conflict, Azchon's respect the fact that most Minotaurs stood around seven feet tall and were trained in combat much more extensively then Azchon. Also Minotaurs tend to prefer plains while Azchon preferred forests, which accounts the size differences between the two races. Until humans showed up on these shores, the land's only residents were Azchons and Minotaurs. Oddly enough, even back then the two races were at peace and they enjoyed trading between them.

He sighs as he snaps out of his thoughts by a voice calling out greetings. The father of Kaylin, one Shido Copperstar shouts out a counter greeting. The Shivie bound towards the group walking towards them, he studies the new Azchon as Shido clasps hands with a black haired female Azchon, who seems to be the leader of the group. He takes note of the exchanges among Shivie as he stands to greet the new arrives.

He glances to where Ryouji and Kaylin since he knew that his host has most likely forgotten about the pair of them, especially about Ryouji. "It's great to see you, Rei, it really is. Though what brings out of your village?" Shido asks as the group walks towards his location. Rei's face fell as she says, "My nephew was taken by the human living in the keep south east of here. We had hoped to rescue him from them, but Veil here announced his death a few days ago. We found his corpse two days ago; we gave him a proper burial, at least what's left of him." He could tell that Shido and his children look sadden about what happened to this nephew of Rei's.

Rei and her band then noticed him and she asks, "Who's this?" Shido blinks and his eyes widen as he remembers him and most likely about Ryouji. "Akarui Crimsonfang, he showed up just this morning with a white furred Minotaur Ryouji Frostmaul. My youngest founded a mother Hyoushin being attacked by a group of human hunters. They stole the Hyoushin's egg and Akarui and Ryouji killed the humans. Ryouji is with Kaylin, the Minotaur is examining the mother Hyoushin to see if we treated the ice bird's injuries correctly." Shido tells Rei and her band to nine clan mates. "Akarui, this is Rei Swiftback." Shido says, he nods and he can tell that the Swiftbacks were studying him with a critical eye.

"I can't help but wonder why a Crimsonfang is this far east, last I heard, you're clan prefers the lake region of Judgement Peak." Rei says bluntly. Akarui's face clouds and he replies, "A raiding band of humans with human knights attacked my settlement a few years back. The leader killed our shaman and stole the Totem of Balance. According to a shaman hermit, the humans did something and the power of the item isn't present in this plane of existence. I hope to find out what happened to the relic as well as help Ryouji search for the Hyoushin that ended up in these lands."

There were startled looks at the mention of the relic that had been in his clan's procession since the remaining Crimsondreams merged with the Chippedfangs to become the Crimsonfangs about two hundred years ago. "How did the humans even learn of the Totem's existence?" One of the Swiftbacks asks. He shrugs as he says, "Doesn't really matter how, they did and they took it. I'm more concerned as to why they took it."

)-(

General Stormram tries his hardest not to be taken back by his lord and master's current appearance as he stands patiently by the doors to the rocky caverns that Lord Blackmoon had slowly turned into his lair while in his… animalistic body. He may not know what his lord had tried to do a few years back that involved that Azchon relic, he does know that Lord Blackmoon had been very displeased with the results of the spell that the old wizard had done.

"General, report." A deep rumble erupts from the being before him. "My lord, we have found the bodies of that group I sent out to retrieve the egg. We believe that a Minotaur and an Azchon slaughtered them. We have been unable to follow their tracks once they made it to a river. We believe that the egg is in their procession. I have already posted a reward for any information about a Minotaur and an Azchon traveling together, I have also sent eight units to scout up the river. We will find them, my lord." He says and bows to the thing hidden in the blackest of shadows.

"Perhaps I should stretch my wings; it has been a few months since I have left the keep…" The beast rumbles, shivers dance up and down General Stormran's spine, remembering the last time his lord had ventured out in his current body. "If my lord so wishes." General Martin Stormram says, not liking the feeling of dread that's spreading through his body. He just knows that something will happen as he walks out of the cavern, he just wonders who's going to die before the sun comes up again.

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang bolts out of bed as shouts and screams erupt from outside of the tent that he's sharing with Ryouji. He grabs his short sword as he bolts out the door with Ryouji following within a few seconds, his mace in hand. He doesn't even gasp in surprise when he notices what's attacking the camp. He charges forward and slashes at the descending forepaw, he might not have sliced through the hide, but he did save Shido's wife's life by attacking when he did.

The beast snarls and as he's sent flying, Ryouji bellow out a war cry as his white furred friend launches himself at the large winged demonic beast that's attacking the camp. Ryouji's attacks causes the thing pain since the beast roars out in pain. The other Azchon begin to organize themselves as Ryouji keeps the winged beast busy. He helps get the injured away from the fight, so that Ryouji and the others don't have to watch out for them.

He winces as he sees the scraps that Ryouji has once he finishes moving the injured off the battle field. The some of the Swiftback Azchon had bows out with what appears to be ropes that were attached to a rope net on their arrows. The Copperstars and other Swiftback Azchon now had spears, their other weapons hanging on their belts or on their backs. "Fire!" Rei shouts, Ryouji drops and rolls on hearing this, the beast just pauses and stares dumbly as the arrows fly over head, the rope net being pulled along. The archers hold onto the ends of the net as the beast begins to struggle against its captivity.

The non archers then move in and begin trying to impale the beast like a pin cushion. Ryouji stands and takes a few minutes to recover as the spears fail to break through the thick hide of the beast. He walks to Ryouji's side and glances at the prints left by the beast. "Ryouji… look at the prints! Remember the body we found?" He says in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the others' concentration. "So it is, so it is." Ryouji says softly, he glances at Ryouji's face, but he couldn't see much of Ryouji's expression since it's so dark out, the large fire has been scattered about, so there isn't that much light for them in this battle.

The Azchon then switches from using the spears to their choice weapons, the beast couldn't do much as the net's still cut tailing its movements. The beast seems unable to make up its mind on which to focus on, the net or the attacking Azchon. Finally it seems that it has made up its mind and bites on the net, its razor sharp teeth slice through the rope and once a hole's been made, it uses a paw to snap the other ropes, trying to use its other paw to defend its belly.

Once it's free, Ryouji takes a stance and the Azchon retreat as the beast fans its wings out. It hisses as Ryouji takes a few steps towards it, then noticing that the archers had arrows loaded, it leaps into the air and flies away. He sighs as the fighters relax; he glances to where Kaylin is hiding with the Hyoushin and the egg. Akarui can see Kaylin by the doorway, the Hyoushin resting on the young Azchon's shoulder; he's kind of surprised that the ice bird isn't that heavy, considering the size of said bird and the size of the Azchon.

He turns away and watches as Rei and Shido talk quietly together, the other Azchon were already collapsing their tents, rolling up their sleeping furs, and building another fire to help light up the campsite. He turns around and begins to do the same with the tent they were allotted from their hosts. Ryouji seems to be studying the prints of the winged beast last time he glanced in his friend's direction. Kelth and the Shivie begin to enter into the camp; he frowns, wondering why the Shivie would flee the camp like that…

)-(

Saya Blackmoon's jaws snap the neck of the last cow of the herd. He breaths shallowly and rapidly, his anger yet to be spent despite the slaughtered herd of cattle around him, he can still feel the blows from that mace belongs to that bull man. He still stings from the blows he received from the albino cow man.

He snaps his head at the intrusion of the clearing. The group of peasants pause on seeing him, he snickers and turns to face them. He lets loose a growl, blood dripping down from his mouth. The peasants look among themselves, as if trying to take reassurance from the number of people in the group. He snort privately, he's amused as they attempt to fan out to surround him. He relaxes, happy to have something other then cows to take his frustration on.

)-(

Akarui sighs as a group of children run pass him, he smiles as he shakes his head as he follows the group with his eyes. He used to play the same games when he was their age. He turns away studies the main hut of the Swiftbacks. There's a meeting in session and he wonders what they're talking about, he hadn't been invited to sit in on the meeting and he hadn't bothered to ask to join it either.

He glances up at the Hyoushin that's circling the clan settlement. He knows that Kaylin will miss the mythical bird of ice when Ryouji is ready to head north with the egg or the chick that could hatch out of said egg. For now, Ryouji wants to help kill the beast that attacked a few nights ago.

He finds himself to where Ryouji is most likely be located, by the path that leads to that human road. "Something wrong?" Akarui asks his friend once he stands by the white furred Minotaur. "Do you hear that?" Ryouji Frostmaul asks, he pauses and listens, he jerks his head as he realises that it's quiet, too quiet for this time in the day. "But how? We hide our tracks at the river!" He hisses softly, his ears perked as he tries to hear something out of place among the undergrowth surrounding them.

(-Kari-)

She sighs as she notices that her drink is empty and she shifts uncomfortablely as she begins to get antsy as the battle is about to begin. She presses her lips together, glancing at the people watching the movie. She hears the sounds of the battle that's showing on the big screen. She excuses herself as she heads out of the theatre to use the ladies washroom.

She's back within fifteen minutes, she misses the rallying speech that Akarui narrates the overall message as they watch the messengers appeal to five other groups of people, three Azchon clans, a group of Minotaur traders, and a hunting party of shaggy Minotaurs that were members of Ryouji's tribe. It seems that Ryouji's clan senior Shaman had visions that Ryouji would need help and sent the group of sixteen Minotaurs of various ages and genders south to help with the up coming battle against the semi-demon that is Saya Blackmoon. She grins at the parts that have the computer generated Shivie and Gryphons, she particular likes how the characters interact with the computer generated creatures.

She settles into her seat as the main parties of Azchon met up about two days away from Blackmoon Keep. She sighs as she remembers what happens next…

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang stares up into the night sky; they were about two days away from the keep that they believe the people responsible for setting the groups of armed humans and that winged beast on them. The most of the Swiftbacks knew the layout of these lands around the keep, which will hopefully help them creep as close to the entrance to a series of connected caves. The other Azchon they have hooked up with were warriors from the three closest clans which were Greypath, Flintspear, and Goldeneyes.

He frowns as he notices a large sharp flies pass, he narrows his eyes as the black shape flies over head, over the base camp. He follows it with his eyes, he doubts he'll like where that beast is headed. He just sighs and wonders if he should tell anyone else about what he just saw.

)-(

They had a stroke of luck and found a secret entrance into the keep through some caverns the scouts have found. Akarui frowns as he glances around the rock face of the tunnel they're journeying through. Ryouji couldn't enter into the caves since he's too tall and broad so Ryouji remains outside with about twenty Azchon from the various four clans that make up the main body of the raid, the Copperstars were a minority compared to the number of Swiftbacks, Greypaths, Flintspears, and Goldeneyes that volunteered for this raiding party.

He wonders where this tunnel will lead and if it was worth trekking all the way in here to find out. They all pause as they heard someone gasp. Soon word filters down from the front about some kind of spell casting going on, he pales, not liking this bit of information. He listens intently as those before him tell of some kind of egg in a nest of ice on a pillar in the center of some kind of spell diagram with human magic users at six points around said diagram. He knows what kind of egg turns water into ice, he feverously hopes that nobody was injured when the winged demonic beast retrieved the Hyoushin egg.

As they begin to move forward once more, a terrible roar echoes through the tunnel, the walls and ceiling of rock shakes slightly as they all cover their ears in hopes of defeating the sound. Akarui Crimsonfang suddenly doesn't feel that this course of action would do much good now that the spell work is complete, he doesn't know how he knew it was done but it was as he continues to press his hands over his ears as the noise only increases and dirt and small pebbles come loose from the ceiling.

To be continued …


	16. L&H Presents: Looming Shadows P3

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 16

Saya Blackmoon roars as the feel of power increase, his entire being burns for the first few seconds before the rush began to equals pleasure. His throat begins to burn since he's been roaring for over ten minutes. He stops; he cocks his head to the side as he listens to the echoes of his triumph. He looks down at the sorcerers that have keeled over from exhaustion.

He mentally touches the new energy that's within him; a cruel smirk appears slowly on his muzzle as a thought slowly develops within his mind. He takes a firm hold of the power that lies within him and begins focus it into his right index fore claw. A slight burning occurs as he notices purple lightning circling around the claw. He then slashes the air with his hand, a gash of purple energy flies through the air, slicing one of the sorcerers in half.

He chuckles in delight and does it five more times, killing the five remaining sorcerers. He doesn't pay any heed to the egg, since it served its part in freezing the chaotic energies that ended up occurring with the first casting with that Azchon relic. He turns his head to see General Stormram enter into the cavern that he has turned into his lair.

He breathes deeply, enjoying the scent of fear and loathing coming from his favourite minion. "Ah, General, what brings you into my den at this time?" He asks the human by the doors in his deep and rumbling voice. The general stiffens and replies in an uncertain voice, "We have reports of a group of Minotaurs heading in our direction. What would you have us do … my lord?" The last bit sounded like the man doubts that he still rules here. He makes a mental note to punish the man once he gains more experience with using his magic, but says instead, "And you can't take care of the matter yourself?"

The man flinches slightly; Saya figures that Stormram doesn't like his tone when he said that or that he just implied that his supposed right hand man was incompetent after everything the man has done for him over the years. "I had hoped to make sure that my lord is well since there seemed to be a bit of an earth shake a few minutes ago." General Stormram says slowly, he waves a clawed fore limb dismissingly. "It will take more then a bit of ground to harm me, general." Saya pause, feeling slightly dizzy and looks at the egg and blinks as he notices that it is no longer in its icy nest on top of the pillar. Saya Blackmoon couldn't stop staring at the pillar as it takes a few minutes for him to realise that he had error when he thought that the egg's purpose wasn't quite done.

)-(

They were heading out of the caves; word has come down the chain that one of Kaylin's brothers stole the Hyoushin egg right from underneath Lord Blackmoon and General Stormram's noses. Akarui just couldn't believe that someone had the guts to follow through with that course of action as he moves at a quick pace through the tunnel; he sees daylight just a few meters away.

He's not the only one to sigh in relief as they speed up so they can reach the entrance sooner. As he exits the cave system, he heads to where Ryouji is sitting, he frowns as he notices how out of it his friend seems to be. Ryouji seems to be staring off into the distance, eyes gazed over. He just sighs and sits down to wait for Ryouji Frostmaul to snap out of it.

(-TK-)

He shakes his head slightly as the battle scene plays out on the big screen, he turns and notices that his elder brother's fast asleep. He grins slightly and returns to watching the part where the humans let loose the battle trained gryphons on the group of Minotaurs.

)-(

Akarui tries to keep pace with Ryouji with an army of Shivie following him with Kelth in the lead. He did have to wonder where such a large group of Shivie came from, he knows that there's well over the number bonded to the members of the raid group. What's more is he didn't even know where they're going.

He perks as he hears sounds of a battle; Ryouji's pace picks up and does the army of Shivie. The Shivie surge pass him, only Kelth remained by his side as the group of Shivie then enter into a dead run, racing pass the white furred Minotaur from the lands of far north. He hears the cries of gryphons and then the cries of snarls of Shivie as the latter most likely entered into the battle against the gryphons.

He frowns and his hand goes to his short sword, Ryouji already has his mace in his hand. He watches as Ryouji bellow out his war cry and surges forward beyond the trees. Once he's at the beginnings of the clearing, he pause as he gawks at the Minotaurs defending themselves from a large unit of gryphons with Shivie dancing around the Minotaurs' feet.

He then notices the bodies of a bunch of human foot soldiers and a few of human knights. He could already guess who brought them down with ease, he returns to looking at the other Minotaurs, there were sixteen of them and they have shaggy coats compared to Ryouji's white coat. He also noticed that some of them have pole arms and axes then maces, he even notice this dun coloured Minotaur with an axe in one hand and a mace in the other.

He's not surprise to notice that about five of the sixteen Minotaurs were female, in Minotaur society both genders are considered equals so it's not so hard of a concept for their women to be trained as warriors. So he's more surprise to find that there weren't more females in the group then about there being females in the first place.

Kelth whines slightly as Kelth sends him a picture of something moving in the bushes behind him, so he quickly then turns around and slashes at the gryphon that had tried to creep up behind him. Kelth snarls and ducks under the gryphon's chest and bites one of the hind legs. The gryphon snarls and is distracted enough for him to behead the flying beast.

Kelth crawls out from under the corpse and he charges into combat, even though it seems that the remaining gryphons were already backing away from the Minotaurs and Shivie. The humans were long gone; they most likely left when the Shivie appeared. "Cowards." He mutters softly as the gryphons finally flee the clearing, he watches as Ryouji and the other Minotaurs exchange greetings in another tongue, most likely Ryouji's native language

Akarui Crimsonfang then notices that the Shivie other then his partner have left. He looks around, trying to remember if any of the telepathic canines had been killed or injured but he can't seem to spot any limbs or corpses that would belong to a Shivie. He shakes his head as he decides he has better things to do then to puzzle over Shivie, Kelth barks slightly and he kneels to give the white Shivie attention that Kelth's demanding to have. A small smile graces face as feelings of contentment flow from his mental bond with Kelth.

)-(

Saya Blackmoon's eye harden as he listens to the report, the General looks uneasy as alarms went off in the man's head. Saya turns away from the man that leads his armies, he glares at the spot where the egg should be. He's hasn't grown weak with the egg gone, he just can't help but _feel_ that the egg shouldn't have been moved.

He growls slightly, annoyance at his underlings. Most humans believe that they were better then the Minotuars and the Azchons, but he had seen truth behind the teachings drilled into their heads at a young age. Humans envy the life styles of the two, jealousy of a Minotaur's strength and an Azchon's agility, and finally fear of what could happen if the two races finally decide that they had enough of humans living on their ancestral lands.

He's been building on that as he hired sorcerers to help complete his transformation. It was also how he's been able to attract enough recruits for his army, the promise of action against the two races based on the major religious beliefs about the two races being 'failed demonic experiments' that should be sent back to their 'masters' by the means of killing them.

Privately, he's amused by this, since some of the 'hectic' books he's read suggest that they're as native to this plane of existence as humans are. Many of the 'hectics' had friendly connections with the two races and had began to question the current religious beliefs concerning the two races. He did have to wonder just how much that's written in those books were true and which were twisted to suit the writer's imagination.

"Send messengers to recall as many units from out laying towns and villages. I think we're about to be assaulted." Saya informs his lead minion. He doubts that the Azchon have the nerve to assault his family's keep. He had other ideas in mind for when the out laying units arrive. He has plans of revealing himself in his chosen form, to rally his forces and then to march on the capital to take control of the human territories of this land.

Then once he has the humans under his thumb, he'll enslave the Azchon, and then the Minotaurs. He might just head back to the lands his ancestors left and conquer those lands. He sighs wistfully at those dreams, he shakes himself out of it and begins to think on whom would be a better replacement of his dear General Stormram…

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang watches as Ryouji Frostmaul, a young shaman of his clan, studies the Hyoushin egg under the watchful eyes of the mother and of Kaylin Copperstar. While Ryouji studies the egg, his clan mates were talking with the war council made up of the Swiftbacks, Greypaths, Flintspears, Goldeneyes, and then Kaylin Coppterstar's parents.

He's still surprise to learn of his friend's position in his clan; he had wondered why Ryouji never used his abilities until Ryouji's cousin Meargis Icerainbow told him that Ryouji had been sent cause of Ryouji's affair with a daughter of an important clan elder. Ryouji wasn't allowed to use his teachings in the magical arts to help him find the Hyoushin mother: well not until the tribe sent someone south to give him the medicine pouch necklace that now graces his friend's neck.

Ryouji then places the egg in a nest of wet feathers, once the egg touches the wet feathers the water freezes and covers the feathers in frost. He watches keenly as Ryouji then takes a pinch of crushed leaves and roots and lets the mixture fall from his fingers. A small wind blows and powder swirls around the egg, soon tiny lights flicker across the shells of the Hyoushin egg. Then a soft glow surrounds the egg and suddenly the glow seems to take the form of a bird. The bird spreads its wings and ascends upwards for about foot above the egg before the glowing form of the bird bursts into light.

Ryouji and the Hyoushin mother sigh at the same time. Kaylin and him share a glance before he asks, "Is the hatchling alright?" Ryouji turns and meets his eyes. "Very much alive, thank the spirits. Though the egg will hatch soon, most likely within the next few hours and therefore we need to gather as much meat as we can. The chick's going to be growing rapidly, too rapidly to be natural. I believe that by dawn of tomorrow, we'll be dealing with a full grown Hyoushin." Ryouji informs them.

He sighs and Kaylin too seems kind of depressed. "Isn't there something we can do for the chick? To stop the aging?" The young Copperstar asks. "Not really, once the chick's grown it'll stop aging rapidly. I also believe that the chick's going to be the key in destroying this semi-demon, for that is what that beast is. It's how the balance of the world is kept you see. The brightest light casts the deepest shadows and vice versa." His friend replies.

He gets up and calls for Kelth, he then nods to Ryouji and heads off to lay some traps around the camp. Kaylin trails behind him, not that he minds. He has a lot to think about as he moves through the forest to set traps to get the meat that Ryouji mentioned he needed.

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang watches as the newly hatched Hyoushin chick tears into the strips of meat the mother Hyoushin is offering. He sighs as the bowl of meat becomes empty; Ryouji changes the empty bowl for a filled one. The chick glows for a second and is now looking much older then he had just a second ago.

He sighs and shakes his head in disbelief at what he just witnessed. Ryouji smiles slightly, amused at his reaction. The mother continues to feed the chick, despite the interactions between himself and Ryouji. He sighs and then leans on the tree behind him, after a while watching the chick feed grew boring and he drifts off to sleep, leaving Ryouji to keep supplying strips of fresh meat for the hatchling.

He wakes to a beautiful song. He blinks at the sunlight that's beginning to appear, that's chasing away the remnants night. He then hears another voice add to the first one, he finally gets use to the light and finds that the two Hyoushin were singing. He leans forward, away from the tree that he had rested his back on.

He studies the two and finds that one of the Hyoushin wasn't as silvery blue as the other. The one that seems slightly discoloured is slightly smaller then the other, he's guesses that it means that the chick really was a male if the genders follow most birds of prey where the females are generally larger then the males. He then notices the reasons why he gets the impression that the young male is discoloured, he notices the light golden colour on the male's wings. Also unlike his mother's eyes, the young male Hyoushin's eyes were emerald, a vastly different colour then the navy blue that the mother has.

The song soon became more complex as the Shivie arrive to listen to the singers. A few Azchon also appear, the other Northern Minotaurs had already arrived before he had woken. He glances over to where Ryouji is before once more watching the pair of Hyoushin sings in their truly unnatural beautiful voices.

By the time the pair of Hyoushin were done singing, he felt refreshed and calm. He's started when the Shivie do short but sharp barks within a few minutes of the song has finished. All of the Shivie have their tails waging as they bark at the pair of Hyoushin. The male chirps and then preens himself; the mother just rustles her feathers.

Soon the watchers begin head back to their chores, the other Minotaurs nod to Ryouji before heading off to where their campsite is. He sighs and when Kelth comes to his side, he pets his bond partner as Kelth sends feelings of content through their mental link.

"I didn't know they could sing." He says to Ryouji. The white furred Minotaur pauses and replies, "They can do that and more. They are distant cousins to the Taiyjin, fire birds, after all." He nods in agreement; he remembers the stories about the two birds that he's heard when he was younger and while traveling around. He then sighs and his muscles begin to complain about the position he had been sleeping in. He stretches his muscles before he stands up, he then heads off to find his tent to retriever his stuff. Kelth follows at his heels; the Shivie seems to be in a good mood as they're leave the two Hyoushin and Ryouji Frostmaul alone in the clearing.

)-(

Saya Blackmoon felt weight in his gut, it began last night and it now sits quite heavily in his middle. He feels uneasy and decides that once the first units arrive, he'll lead them personally against the Minotaurs that have been spotted. He also hopes that he might find the egg with the group of Minotaurs, he hopes to retrieve it and put it back on the pillar where it had rested during the spell casting.

Saya pause as he considers the doors that lead out of his lair. He didn't want to transform into his birth form, but he hadn't created any other entrance big enough for him to fit through. He scowls at his thoughtlessness and pictures his birth form in his mind's eye. Numbness spreads over him before his body undergoes the transformation, he's surprise that he's not feeling any pain as his body shrinks and reshapes itself.

Once he's done, he also found himself clothed as well. He blinks owlishly for a few seconds, still stunned about the fact he hadn't felt any pain from his transformation into a human and then about the fact that he is clothed without having to dress himself with cloths he keeps in a chest by the first lantern. He sighs and takes note of the cloths he's wearing, he found them much more comfortable then his usual ones and he liked the cut of them as well.

He opens the door and walks out into the dimly lit hallway. He rises an eyebrow at the fact that there weren't any guards, he was sure that the General would have assigned guards at his entrance of his lair. He dismisses this as unimportant and continues on his way through the dimly lit hall. He encounters some guards patrolling the corridor beyond the hidden hallway that leads to his cavern lair.

"Where's General Stormram? I was expecting him hours ago." He tells the pair, he hadn't been expecting the General, but the pair didn't need to know that. "He's currently inspecting the new cadets, my lord." The right guard tells him. The other nods, clearly too scared to say anything. He waves them off as he stalks pass the dumbfounded pair.

He notices dimly the startled looks he receives from the servants and guards as he heads to where the training field is. He's mood sours as he wonders what lies his General had fed to those that serve under him. "It's high time I find myself another General." He says softly as he stalks through the doorway leading into the yard that's used for training.

His eyes come to rest on one Martin Stormram, General of his army and use to be his most dependable minion. He slows and then stops as he studies the man moving about in from of a group ranging from sixteen year olds to men in their twenties. His thoughts are interrupted by horns going off, alerting everyone that they're under attack.

"Who would be fool enough to attack my Keep?" He wonders out loud. Already General Stormram is shouting out orders to the cadets and to the men there to demonstrate what's expected of them. He snorts as men races pass him to get to their posts. He glances up into the sky; he notices something circling around the keep. He doesn't have time to focus in on what's circling around his Keep, for he hears shouts about Minotaurs and Azchon.

Saya Blackmoon's jaw slacks as he finds it hard to believe that the two races were working together to attack his Keep. "When did… How dare they!" He snarls the last bit, his eye flicker to where General Stormram is. His eyes narrow on the man as the good General jogs towards the main gate, he balls a fist as thoughts of killing the man flash through his mind.

He then begins to walk to where General Stormram will most likely be; he pauses and then notices that his fist is covered in black fire. Dismisses the flame and examines his hand for any burns or discolouration. Finding none he then continues on his way, slightly calmer then before but still focused on killing one ex-General Martin Stormram.

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang watches as the ram strikes the door again, this time a large crack sounds out as the metal point is hammered into the wooden door. Shields protect those that are operating the ram; shouts of encouragements erupt from where the rest of the army is located. From where he stands he can hear the orders coming from the defenders, they were still surprised that the demi-Demon has yet to appear to defend the keep.

The Shivie were resting near by, he hasn't seen Ryouji since he exited the clearing to get his stuff. The other Minotaurs were by the grove of trees on the other side of the road. He can tell from the looks on the Minotaurs' faces that they were ready to face off against the beast and that they seem to be furious about what the humans had done with the Hyoushin egg.

He gets the feeling that Hyoushi are revered by Minotaur of the far north. He did wonder about what other abilities the Hyoushin have other then the ability to turn water into ice. He wonders if he'll have time to ask Ryouji when they're done assaulting the keep.

He can tell that most of the Azchon clans were more then a little eager for battle. He wonders if they're going to use this time to avenge those that were captured by the humans that live within the keep. He couldn't imagine what it's like living so close to a human settlement. He ponders what kind of crimes the humans had gotten away with as he watches the rammers once more hits the front gate.

As the rammers pull the ram back from the door, shouts of concern and disbelief can be heard drifting from the human side of the siege. Then a voice barks out orders in a deadly calm voice. A human body is flung off the top of the stone walls of the keep. They glance at each other, each wondering what just happened, but then they shrug it off and those on ram duty charge the wooden gate once more, disregarding the body that lies about to the left and four feet away from the gate path.

Two more rams and a roar echoes from the keep. Akarui Crimsonfang and the other Azchon pause as they stare at the stone walls of the keep. He glances to where the Minotaurs are when they bellow their own challenge. This stirs the Shivie and they howl, bark, and yowl their reply to the demi-demon's roar.

He tries to find Kelth among the pack of Shivie. He notices a few pure white Shivie and then a few with other colour hints of color. _'Kelth?'_ He sends through the link. Kelth replies with overtones of excitement and alertness. He rises his eye brow, wondering what's gotten into the Shivie.

Then somebody steps out onto the road. He hears gasps of surprise and whispers. It was as if some kind of mist clears and suddenly the figure is in focus. "Ryouji?" He wonders out loud as the figure turns out to be a white Minotaur. He narrows his eyes as he notices the changes done to Ryouji's fur coat.

Tattoos of light blue and royal blue cover Ryouji's upper body. The mane of hair is now houses feathers, ivory beads, and breads with copper decorations woven in. Ryouji's horns were painted white and under each eye were symbols painted in dark blue. He then notices that there seems to be a glow emanating from the mace that's hanging from Ryouji's belt.

Grey leather strips were wrapped around Ryouji's knuckles and wrist. He studies the blue belt with a metal buckle with a glowing rune etched on it. The loin cloth that the belt is holding up is also grey with light blue leather pants that end at the end of the knee. Copper bracelets were around Ryouji's ankles and over top of a strip of brown leather. The bracelets had a few blue stones.

All in all, Ryouji looks like a shaman on the war path. He isn't the only one stunned by the way Ryouji is dressed. As Ryouji continues to walk down the path, the Minotaurs place a hand over their chests and bow slightly to the young shaman. Ryouji stops and nods in their direction, the group then return to watching the ram hit the wooden door.

Ryouji stops just out of range of the human bows. His friend takes hold of his mace and bellows out his challenge, screeches from the Hyoushin join in within a few seconds. The pair of ice birds dive and circle around Ryouji's position.

As Ryouji's voice finishes echoing and his friend takes a defensive stance, as if waiting for the demi-demon to appear at any time. It's not long before a black shape launches from somewhere within the keep. He then watches as the beast lands behind Ryouji. Ryouji turns around to face against the beast that most likely had been human once upon a time.

A huge crack sounds out as the ram finally finishes breaking through the gate. The Minotaurs lead the charge as those on ram duty hurry through the door with their weapons drawn. He's torn between entering into the keep or should he remain behind to help Ryouji if or when the shaman needs his help. In the end, he decides to stand with his friend; he notices that the Shivie had also followed after those raiding the keep. He hopes that Kelth will be alright as he watches as Ryouji evades a magical attack.

)-(

Saya Blackmoon stares at the white furred Minotaur that he had faced off against a while back. He doesn't like the way the mace glows or that glowing rune on the belt buckle. He also gets uneasy whenever he thinks about those two birds he had spied.

He doesn't relent on the magical attacks; he grows frustrated as he finds the bull man to be light on his feet and quick to react. An idea enters into his mind and he begins to gather energy into his mouth. As he's about to release the energy by opening his mouth, something hits him in the back of his head.

This causes him to release the energy, even without his mouth open. He snarls and roars in pain from both the injury from the attack staying in his mouth but also from the unholy pain from the back of his neck. He finds one of the birds resting on a tree branch; he stares into the bird's emerald eyes and suddenly he just knows that the bird is his judge and jury which leaves the shaman is the executioner.

Fury explodes within him at this thought. He returns to facing the Minotaur shaman, he can already hear the sounds of battle coming from his keep. He doubts that those Azchon will be able to match up against battle trained troops that he commands. They were after all just a group of untrained rumble, while the Minotaurs are trained warriors there were only sixteen Minotaurs and they couldn't possibility defeat all of the keep's defenders.

He stretches his wings to their max, growls emanating from his throat as he lowers his head and neck. The muscles in his upper body tense, ready to allow him to surge forth and bite the definite Minotaur's head clear off. The tip of his tail twitches much like an angry cat's tail. If he had ears they would be flat against his skull.

The white furred shaman Minotaur also tense up clearly is getting ready to evade his attack and to counter attack before he can defend himself. He shifts his weight to his back legs as he pulls his arms up off the ground. He pulls his lip up which reveals his sharp fangs and teeth. The shaman digs his hooves into the ground, shifting loose dirt and pebbles as he does so.

He snarls as he launches himself at the white Minotaur shaman, he does scratch the shaman's leg as the Minotaur dodges to his right. The mace hits his shoulder and he slashes at the bull man with his left hand. The shaman back petals, causing him to miss. He flaps his wings, stirring up the loose dirt into the air, clouding the Minotaur's ability to see. He sends the Minotaur into the tree that's behind him. He's about to deal the death blow when he feels something enter into the back of his neck.

He roars in pain, he tries to get at whatever's stuck in his neck but he can't reach it. As he tries to rid himself of whatever it was, the Minotaur shaman recovers and bellows. He pauses and watches in horror as the mace's glow begins to increase. He watches as the emerald eyed bird flies from its perch and land on the mace. A flash of light occurs and the mace is then covered in ice, mist begins to form as the warm air begins to chill from the ice that now covers the mace.

He's about to bat the shaman away when once more something enters into the back of his neck, about twice. By the time he sends whatever it was flying, the shaman's already too close for him to defend himself. The ice mace hits him in the chest…

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang stares at the body of a man in the center of massive black decaying flesh and bone. He looks to where Ryouji is; his friend seems exhausted and out of the mace emerges the male Hyoushin. He uses the tree trunk that's a few feet away to help him stand straight. He recovers his balance as the black flesh and bone begin to vanish which causes the flesh of on the man to vanish as well, soon even the bones become dust and there isn't anything remaining from the demi-demon.

Once he recovers his balance he walks to where Ryouji Frostmaul is currently resting. He watches as the young Hyoushin gets up and he notices that the young male ice bird's eyes were the same colour as his mother's now. He looks questioningly at Ryouji, but his friend had fallen asleep. He smiles slightly; he glances to where the keep is as he can hear the cries of humans most likely begging for mercy.

"Guess it's over, for now at least." He muses out loud. The ice bird chirps his agreement, he then pause as he notices something lying by Ryouji's mace. He kneels down and picks it up. He gasps as he realises that this is his clan's relic. "But how?" He wonders as he turns it around in his hands.

He stays by Ryouji's side, not even walking back to get his short sword from where it fell. Kelth arrives a few minutes before Ryouji's tribal members do. He praises Kelth and pets the Shivie, Kelth practically melted when he started on scratching behind his ears.

The Minotaurs hadn't really asked too much about what happened that rendered his friend into his exhausted state. A bit later the Azchon raiders came out, either carrying their weapons or bodies of their friends. He sighs sadly at each of the dead bodies that came from the keep. There were a few captive Azchon that walked by, they were in a sorry state and he hopes that they'll recover from their captivity at the hands of the human of the keep.

He's glad that he had already pocketed the relic; he guesses he now knows what happened to the relic. It was used to change that man into a demi-demon. He glances to where Ryouji's cousin is, wondering if he'll ever see his friend again once they part ways and head back to their respective clans.

)-(

Akarui Crimsonfang smiles as his village comes into sight. He glances down at Kelth. From his bond with the Shivie he gets Kelth's excitement at being home as well as contentment that everything is as it should be. He pats the pouch that contains the Totem of Balance. He glances northward, hoping that Ryouji and the other Minotaurs would get a warm welcome when they arrived. He looks back at the village and then continues to walk towards it. He hopes that everyone will be happy to see him; he wonders what happened since he left.

(-Tai-)

He sighs as the credits then start to roll. He has to admit that Izzy and Matt did a great job on completing their assigned roles. All in all, he can't wait for the DVD.

To Readers:

So ends the movie arc. I thank you guys for your comments and thank you for waiting patiently as I try something vastly different. Now onto the rescue of the Tamers and once more I would like to thanks my two friends for their support for this arc, Kata and Sora.

To be continued …


	17. Reunions

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 17

He sighs as he glances around the room he shares with his adopted sister one last time. He then picks up his knapsack and shoulders it. He'll miss this room, this apartment, and especially this family that he's grown to love. He turns around and walks out of the room, even if he ever returns it wouldn't be the same as before.

It's been about two months since the movie was screen in the theatre and it seems that for the two weeks it was showing in the theatre, it was a big hit. It also seems that Mimi and Yolei were receiving orders for DVDs of the movie. He couldn't believe that it was such a hit, he really couldn't believe it.

Though at school he did receive teasing concerning his role of Ryouji Frostmaul, the Minotaur shaman he had played. Some of the girls were forward enough to mention they wouldn't mind seeing just how much of a 'bull' he was… He shivers slightly as he recalls those kinds of offers.

He's lucky that one of the guys were around to help defuse those situations, he just didn't know what to say to those girls. He's just glad that no boys had made such advances on him. As open minded as he is on relationships, he just doesn't see himself in that kind of relationship.

"Takato?" He blinks and looks at his partner. "Just thinking about what's been going on in the last few months." He says as he smiles slightly at the red virus Digimon. Guilmon nods and he then walks out of the apartment and into the hall. He turns as Kari exits out of the bathroom.

Kari looks sheepish before grabbing her pack and walking out of the door. Guilmon's the last to exit out of the apartment; he closes it and locks it. He studies the name plate before turning around and walking to where Kari and Guilmon were. They were heading to the camp site where the first batch of Digidestine had entered into the Digital World.

Izzy, Ken, Yolei, and Gennai had finally had been able to contact Hypnos and they were going to stabilize the connection between the two worlds and their Digital counterparts. Most of the Digidestine and himself know how long this stabilization will last, but hopefully long enough for them to defeat GranDracmon. They were first going to his home reality and then with Beelzemon and MarineAngemon's help, they'll cross over into the reality that holds Rika and the other Tamers.

He wonders what it'll be like to be home again with his birth parents. He wonders if Kazu and Kenta will freak out when they see the Digidestine and their partner. The fact that he had only warned Kari and Gatomon about the cartoon show about this reality kind of makes him feel slightly guilty but mostly mischievous.

He knew that when the others find out that he'll be in the hot seat, but then he's grown use to that over the years of living with the Kamiya's, since he really did like to tease Kari about a lot of things and has learnt just how sharp a bite the Digidestine of Light has. Oddly enough because of his teasings Kari was as up tight as she was in the show so the episode where Kari ended up in the Dark Ocean hadn't really bothered Kari as much as it must have in the show.

He grins slightly as they walk out of the building, he notices TK waiting by the trunk with Gatomon and Patamon. Kari and him take off their packs and put them into the trunks of the van that Matt borrowed. He opens the side door and then he motions for the two love birds into the van. Gatomon and Patamon look amused as Kari and TK can't seem to decide who'll enter the van first.

TK's another one he had 'corrupted' since the blond doesn't act the way he had in the show. His influence is still apparent since TK hasn't worn that white fisherman's hat since Myotismon's defeat. He had gotten the blond a blue bandana that, to quote himself, 'brings out TK's eyes', end quote. So when Mimi, Yolei, and Sora noticed the change in head gear, they took the poor blond Digidestine of Hope out to buy some new cloths that would go great with his in image.

So TK ended up with different coloured T-Shirts, some pairs of jeans and darker coloured pants, and other bandanas. The most common colour scheme that they bought were mostly greys and blues that seem to go with TK and Patamon's Bio Merge mega form, GuardiAngemon. Apparently Patamon liked the new look and encouraged TK to wear those colours then what had once been his usual attire.

Not to say that he hasn't been affected either, for once the girls finished with TK they moved onto Davis, then Ken, Cody, and finally onto him and to a lesser extent, Kari. While he still wears his usual yellow goggles, his card deck, and his D-Ark, he's no longer wearing hoodies and his usual brown pants.

They have him wearing red bandanas, which has he wears his goggles over, that has the black markings that are on Guilmon's head, the four triangle design, which can also be found on the back of Guilmon's clawed hands. He's also wearing a red shirt with a black vest that has the Digital Hazard symbol in red on the back of the vest. Instead of the wrist bands he usually wears, he's now wearing black fingerless gloves with the four triangle design in red on the back of them. His pants are black with red strips on the outsides where the seams are. His runners are red with black designs. He's socks are white though.

He gets into the van once Guilmon enters into it. He nods a greeting to Matt and to his elder brother. He shuts the door and buckles up; Matt then puts the van into drive and signals that they want into the left lane. They were going to pick up Sora and Calumon, most of the older Digidestine partners were already waiting at the campsite with Gennai so they don't have to worry about having enough room in their vehicles.

He looks out of the window as they head to pick up Sora. He sighs mentally, wondering when Sora will actually put an end to the competition going on between Matt and Tai by telling the two who she loves. While it will most likely be hard for the Digidestine of Love, he knows that it would help Matt and Tai end this competition and return to being the great friends they had been before they were aware of their feelings towards the tennis loving young woman.

Truthfully, he still can't believe who she prefers; he just hopes that things work out between Sora and _him_. He's already reviewing how he'll go about showing Rika that he really cares about her, he already has some ideas of what will most likely tick her off and he just hopes he can avoid making those mistakes. After all, he's spent a good decade away from her and the six years thinking about how best to approach her. _'Maybe I should talk with Renamon before I do anything too embarrassing.'_ He thinks to himself as they stop across the street from Sora's parent's flower shop.

(-Kari-)

She glances to where the Digimon are just milling around. She notices how the Digimon seem to be listening to Calumon and Guilmon describing what his shed is like and about the park where it's located. She guesses that like their human partners, the Digimon were also excited about the up coming battle as well as the chance to explore another dimension where Digimon were a line of merchandise.

She wonders when Takato's going to tell them about the cartoon show so they receive some warning about it so they don't get too startled. _'Why do I get the feeling that Takato's just going to endure being in the hot seat just to see the stunned and startled looks on the others' faces?'_ She muses as she studies her adopted brother.

She just sighs and TK asks, "What did he do now?" "It looks like he's not going to even give anyone an ounce of warning about the cartoon show." She tells her crush. "What about the cartoon show?" TK asks, his curiosity piped.

Before she can say anything more, she feels something arrive. From the looks on the others' faces they also felt it. Soon mist rolls forms and the Demon Lord Beelzemon appears seemingly out of nowhere. She notices that the mega Digimon hasn't really changed since the last time she last saw him, but then that's to be expected when it comes to Digimon.

"Geeze I hardly recognised ya, Goggle head. Looking sharp though." Beelzemon says after studying Takato's new appearance. Takato shrugs while Mimi, Sora, and Yolei look pleased with themselves. Then Beelzemon walks over to where Gennai is standing and hands him something. "It's all they've were able to make on such short notice." Beelzemon says and Gennai nods in understanding.

She watches as Gennai goes about the business of using that item that Beelzemon brought to make the odd machine do what it has built to do. She hadn't noticed it until Beelzemon had handed that item that resembled a card to Gennai. She begins to notice that the machine isn't whole in the real world either, she wonders about that until Gennai hums and then announces that it's done, then the portal closes and so does Gennai.

They all turn as one, not Beelzemon though he's studying their partners, to look at Izzy. Izzy just sighs and then finishes typing on his lap top. Soon air before Izzy begins to shimmer and then energy can be heard crackling as a tear in space and time opens up. She gasps when she notices what's on the other side.

It seems the people on the other side of the portal also seem startled. Takato and Beelzemon chuckle and walk through the gate with Guilmon following behind the pair, clearly confused as to what's going on. Tai's the first to gather his courage and walks towards the gate, Agumon and Calumon follow behind the elder Digidestine of Courage. Soon they all come out of their surprise and walk through the gate; Izzy and Tentomon were the last ones through before it closed.

She glances around the large room. She can see a whole wall of computer screens before she then studies the adults that were in the room. More then a few were openly gawking at their appearance, which makes her wonder if Beelzemon warned them about who's coming through the gate. "Kazu, Kenta." Takato says, she turns to see who her adopted brother's talking to.

Two teens with their respective partners were just staring at the group. One of the teens is wearing a visor, which marks him as Kazu. The other teen's wearing glasses and has a small pink Digimon on his shoulder, which means that this teen is Kenta. "Takato!" A young sounding voice cries and suddenly Takato's begin given a hug by a young girl. "Hey Suzie. Lopmon." The Tamer says, clearly happy to see the young girl.

She smiles at the scene; she had to admit that she wouldn't mind taking a picture of this scene… if only she remembered to have her camera out instead of packing it in her pack. Another pair of kids appears and they shout out, "Takato!" Takato smiles at the pair as he calls them by their names, "Ai, Mako." Out of the corner of her eye Beelzemon is encased in an egg of white light and then a child looking Digimon is standing where Beelzemon had stood. She sighs, feeling both happy for her adopted brother and yet sad at the same time. She leans slightly into TK's embrace, truly touched by the reunion going on before them.

(-Tai-)

As he explores the building, he tries to ignore the stares he's getting. _'Who'd have guessed that there'd be a cartoon about our adventures in another dimension? Weird but I guess that answers so many thing about how Takato seems to be able to predict a few things when it came to what the second group was facing. Well you can't really blame him about not telling us about it, I mean we really did need to do it on our own.'_ He muses to himself as he waits for the elevator.

He glances to his right; Davis had decided to join him in his exploration of Hypnos. They hadn't really said anything to each other as the walked around, they both had a lot on their minds and were often lost in their own thoughts as the moved around the building, getting a feeling of it. He's still edgy about the glances that Davis and him were receiving, he wonders when they'll stop gawking at them, it's just so freaky.

Once they're inside of the elevator Davis lets out a relieved sigh. "What's on your mind, kiddo?" He asks Davis. Davis grins at the kiddo part and replies, "It's just weird. I mean it's like our world only it's not our world. Veemon told me that the Digimon smell odd but relatively similar to our world's Digimon. I guess it's just different hearing about it then to experiencing it, you know?" He nods in agreement as the elevator music fills the void of their conversation.

"What are your thoughts about all this?" The teen that inherited his goggles asks. "I'm excited. The events do make me concerned, but then I guess I've come to coup with the thought that my two younger siblings, even if one's adopted, are the usual targets for power hungry Digimon. There may not be any prophesies about what's about to happen, but I'm just going to continue doing what I think is right and continue to learn from any mistakes I have made or will make. It's what had worked for me in the past and I think it'll continue to work for me now that I'm older." He informs the holder of the Digi Eggs of Courage and Friendship.

Davis just nods as they wait for the elevator to come to the right floor. They'll be assaulting the reality where the Tamers are residing. The last they saw of Takato, Takato was giving the three younger kids tips on which cards they would most likely need to use in the up coming battle. While he's kind of concerned about bringing kids that young along, he couldn't really forbid them from coming since Tamers can help in battle by slashing a card through their D-Arks. The reason Takato's teaching the three kids is that considering the reactions Kenta and Kazu had from seeing them, he guesses that the pair were most likely more then a little distracted and were most likely bugging Takato are his adopted brother tries to teach the kids.

(-Takato-)

He glances to where TK, Kazu, and Kenta were. TK was kind enough to help get the two away from him so he can instruct the three kids in what card slashing is and when is it should be used. Since the pair had been bugging him about his life in the Digidestine reality, TK had mentioned that he had Bio Merged with Patamon because he had been kind of jealous of Guilmon and his ability to fight as one with each other. He felt sorry for his friend, hoping that TK'll survive the pair's embarrassing questions.

Impmon and Lopmon were listening as well, most likely making notes about this lecture so that they might be able to help jog their memories about what he told them about card slashing. He's relieved that Henry had given Suzie some instructions when it comes to card slashing, she helps dumb it down for the other two so they understand what he's trying to teach them. The two siblings were just happy that someone's around to teach them, which makes him feel kind of guilty since they should have been instructed sooner especially since Impmon has a way of getting into the thick of things.

He sighs as yet again Ai and Mako argue over who's turn to pretend to slash the Black Gear modify card. He presses his lips as he notices that once more Impmon's expression darkens. "Ok, how about Mako gets the D-Ark and pretends to slash a pretend card through it while Ai gets the card and pretends to slash it through a pretend D-Ark?" He suggests and the twins just blink at him and then they share a glance before they do as he suggests.

Impmon looks relieved that the two weren't arguing; he wonders which one should be in charge of the D-Ark for the up coming battle. He sighs as he studies the two, trying to figure out how to suggest it without the two fighting for the honour. _'I'm so happy Kari and I never really fought over such things. But then Kari wasn't that energetic since she was sickly and I was worried about her health. Most of the rough housing was between Tai and me.'_ He thinks as he watches the siblings interact.

He turns as he hears something hit the floor. He chuckles as he notices the dog pile of Digimon by the door. Calumon floats as the little white Digimon chuckles at the sight. Soon the group of Digimon have once more recovered their dignity and gather up the food packages they must have gotten from the cafeteria.

He returns his attention back to the siblings and says, "Ok, how about we play a little game to see who gets to have the D-Ark. Since I think we need to get this out of the way or have you two decided on who gets to card slash during the rescue?" The two blink in surprise and then they glance at each other in uncertainty.

Then they look over to Impmon and Ai then says, "Mako can do it, if I get to practice with both the cards and the D-Ark." "Sure!" Mako says then hands over the D-Ark to his sister. Impmon seems pleased, clearly happy that his two Tamers were once more getting along. He feels guilty that he's the reason that the two were arguing in the first place. He sends Impmon an apologetic look and Impmon just snorts lightly but nods his head as the rookie accepts his apology.

The rest of the lesson unravelled as the kids became more interested in what kind of food the Digimon brought up. He watches as Ai and Mako race to where Veemon is to partake in eating some chocolate bars. Suzie and Lopmon were getting refreshments, which leaves him alone with Impmon.

"So, you didn't warn anyone about who I was living with, huh?" He asks the child looking Digimon. "And boy was their reactions funny." Impmon says and then heads to get some food from Guilmon. He grins slightly and heads to where TK is, since Kazu and Kenta were also trying to liberate some of the munches that the Digimon brought up.

"Exhausting, huh?" He asks dryly. TK nods in agreement with his statement. "They'll calm down, right?" TK asks in a slight pleading tone. "They might go back to fawning over Ryo." He says in sympathy. TK looks relieved when he said that, he didn't have the heart to remind the blond that he really did mean 'might' as in they 'might' not lose interest in bothering the Digidestine.

"I wonder where the others are." He muses as he changes subjects. "Trying to get use to the fact they're even more famous in this reality then they're own." TK replies, clearly sore that he had only told Kari and Gatomon about the show, he just sighs and replies, "I'm still sorry about that but I didn't want you guys questioning your place in the grand order of things. Besides, this way you guys can't dwell on it for too long." He said the last bit in a light tone, since he didn't want TK to ponder about the cartoon show. He knows that they'll want to watch; despite their personal opinions he thinks they're curiosity will get the better of them.

They soon drift out of the room; he leads his blond friend to the cafeteria. They also meet up with Sora, Matt, and Mimi and the three decide to join them in their search of food. He guesses that the excitement was getting to them. His D-Terminal goes off and he checks it to find an E-Mail from Yolei asking where the cafeteria is, he then sends a reply.

Just as he's about to put his D-Terminal away, he decides to send a notice to the others on where to find his group. He gets replies from almost everyone, then Tai sends one to everyone to meet up back at the command room in thirty minutes, it seems that Izzy and the Monster Makers have homed in on the reality where his friends are and were already trying to create a temporary linkage with that reality. He smiles, greatly relieved that they now have an anchor to get into and out of that reality.

He still finds it hard to believe that about a week passed here instead of years. He shakes those thoughts out of his head as he walking onto the elevator. He presses the floor number and the doors soon close. The others remain quiet, he guesses that everyone has more on there mind then he figured.

)-(

He glances around at their surroundings. The whole area is shades of grey, he's never seen anything likes this before as they shift in colour density. "It's like a road made of twilight colours." Suzie says in awe. He smiles at the comparison, agreeing with Suzie's description of this reality.

"Twisting paths across the sky, a never ending twilight, kind sounds like a poetic way of describing life." Kari muses, adding to Suzie's description. They fall into a kind of comfortable silence, watching as the shades of greys play in the sky.

Tai breaks the silence by saying, "Look down there. I think I saw something move." He moves to stand by Tai's right; he can hear the others come up around him. Guilmon and Gabumon sniff the air; Guilmon stiffens for a second before relaxing. "I smell Renamon, it's not that fresh though." The red virus Digimon says. "Nothing else?" Matt asks. "I smell a faint acidy scent and hints of ashy scents." Gabumon replies.

"I wonder what kind of Digimon GranDracmon has left for guards." Izzy muses. "Only one way to find out." Yolei replies, she then takes the lead. He pauses, glancing once more into the shifting shades of grey in the sky. He sighs and follows after Calumon and Sora, Guilmon's up where Kari and TK are with their respective partners.

Mimi almost trips but Joe helps steady her, Ai and Suzie stuck close to Davis and Ken, Mako keeps pace with Tai, Izzy stays in the center with Cody, Kenta walks on Mimi's other side, Kazu walks just a few steps behind Yolei, and most of the Digimon form a loose ring around the humans. Tension and silence walk hand in hand as they make there way to what might have been a road.

He sniffs the air; the scent of ash seems to be increasing as they make it all the way to the rim of a large crater. As they reach the rim they all stop. He blinks as he sees smoke coming off of a large sleeping Digimon. Mako has his D-Ark out and already a hologram appears, Tai reads the information as it appears.

**Volcdramon**

Ultimate level Digimon

Data attribute

Dragon type. Attacks are Circle of Death and Volcanic Foun.

As the hologram disappears, he studies the crater as he ponders one of Volcdramon's attacks. "You don't think that…" Joe says. "Maybe." Sora says. He glances at Ai, Suzie, and Mako, he notices the puzzled expressions and he enlighten them, "If GranDracmon was there to increase his power, Volcdramon might have been able to create this crater."

"Then we have better be sneaky so we don't find out if he did or didn't." Tai says firmly, many nod in agreement. The pull away and they grouped together to begin discussing ideas on how to get close to the large Digimon without waking him. Even the Digimon added their comments, MarineAngemon and Calumon would scout out the area since they were the smallest and could fly and if the pair do accidentally wake Volcdramon, they'd just play it by ear since they've never encountered this kind of Digimon before and don't have any experience on what he's capable of.

He stands up and moves a bit back as he hopes to get a better view of things. Guilmon stands to his left, also studying the scene from where they're standing. He hopes that Calumon and MarineAngemon will be able to either confirm or deny whether or not the other Tamers are close to where the fire Digimon is.

(-Kari-)

They were once more moving away from a sleeping guard. _'That would have be the fifth we've encountered. First was Volcdramon, then Yatagaramon, those two Waspmon, and now JewelBeemon. Look at the kids; they're tired from all this walking around. I wonder when we'll get a chance to rest, it had better be soon.'_ She thinks sourly as they follow Kazu away from the humanoid looking insectoid Digimon.

There luck seems to have held through out this whole trip and she can only prey that it continues since they have yet to find any hint as to where the Tamers and their partners were. Though it seems that Guilmon had picked up the scent of Renamon when they scouted out the area that the two Waspmon.

"You'd think this would be more exciting then what it as been so far." She says softly to TK, who's walking to her left. "True, but we do have innocent little kids to watch out for. As long as things keep quiet, I won't complain too much." The blond replies, she looks to where Mako, Ai, and Suzie were walking among the group.

She then studies the two Tamers that had been friends with Takato long before Takato thought up Guilmon and became the large rookie's Tamer. The pair seems more serious then when they stepped through the gate into this world. But then, the mood of the group might be affecting them as well.

'_Still I have to wonder, why aren't these Digimon awake?'_ She muses to herself as they head slightly too where the two Waspmon were. They alter their course as Guilmon takes over, which means that Guilmon might have picked up a stronger scent trail that might lead them to where the Tamers and their Digimon partners.

They see a mountain coming up, they began to get alert as Guilmon continues to lead them pass a bunch of caves and rocky out croppings. She blinks as they spot two wooden posts that are the beginnings of a trail. "Well, that's practically a road sign screaming 'Trap!'" Tai says dryly. "So we should keep on walking?" Davis asks. "Over here!" Takato shouts from by the closest wooden post.

They blink and then hurry to see what the pair had found, they find Terriermon buried under a thin layer of dirt. "Terriermon?' Suzie asks once the young girl is bending over to see if something's wrong the rabbit looking Digimon. "I don't feel like playing Princess Pretty Pants today, Suzie." The green rookie murmurs, causing all of them to chuckle at the reply.

Terriermon rolls over and hits Guilmon. Guilmon looks into Terriermon's face as the rookie wakes. "Geeze!" Terriermon shouts as the rookie bolts right up and pulls away from Takato's partner. "What a way to wake up." Terriermon says and most of the Digimon chuckle in agreement.

Terriermon blinks and then begins to study the entire group, clearly surprised that there were so many people that were around. "Err… why do I get the feeling that some big happened while I was napping?" Terriermon asks, clearly confused about something. "Though I got to say that those cloths do look great, Takato." The green rabbit looking Digimon adds.

(-Takato-)

They study the groove that the Rika and the other two were resting in; they had already located and woken up Renamon and Cyberdramon. They all were nervous since this time the guard is a mega level Digimon by the name of TyrantKabuterimon. TyrantKabuterimon is a virus Digimon and his attacks are Shine of Bee and Bee Cyclone.

He wonders if their plan will work, he has this weight in his gut and he can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen. He glances at his partner, wondering if Guilmon feels it too. Guilmon growls for a second, he turns around and suddenly, he finds he can't move. He blacks out as somebody teleports Guilmon and him out of this reality.

(-Tai-)

Kenta signals that they've retrieved the three teens from the groove in the ground. He glances to where Kari is and already the mega begins to stir, he sends TK a piecing look before he signals to Matt and Sora to warp Digivolve.

"Agumon warp Digivolve too… WarGreymon!" His partner then shots forward as TyrantKabuterimon as the mega turns to look at the fleeing members of the group, already TK and Patamon have Bio Merge, but he doesn't see Gallantmon anywhere.

Any worrying thoughts about his adopted brother fled from his mind as his concerns for WarGreymon surface. Besides, he knows that Takato can handle himself just fine, especially with Guilmon being there to help.

To be continued …


	18. Hard Choices

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 18

Her first thought as she becomes aware of her surroundings is, why is she bouncing? Here she is, trying to sleep and it seems that someone's carrying her away, thus causing her to wake from the movement of being carried. She then decides to hell with it and attempted to fall back asleep.

At least until someone shouted, "Crimson Flame!" Her eyes snap open and look to where the cry came from. She stares in awe at seeing a Phoenixmon doing battle with some giant insectoid Digimon with a WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon hovering close by the golden colour bird Digimon.

"What's going on?" She asks whoever's carrying her, she couldn't take her eyes off the battle between the four Digimon. "You're awake?" A male voice says in surprise. "If I weren't we wouldn't be having this conversation." She says dryly. "I guess so." Then the guy says, "So you're Rika, huh?" The guy asks, not stopping to let her off. "Yea, so?" She replies, slightly pissed that the guy hasn't put her down.

The guy laughs softly and then says, "You're kind of how Takato described ya is all." She stiffens on hearing that. "And you are?" She says in a threatening tone. "Someone you don't believe exists. Davis, Davis Motomiya." The so called 'Davis' says. "Great, I'm being carried around by a cartoon character. What's next, Takato has a long lost sister?" She says dryly, she's stunned when Davis chuckles and then laughs loudly.

"I don't know about a long lost part, but Takato does have a sister, more like an adopted sister. I should also mention that he has an adopted elder brother, too." Davis says cheerfully. "…" Was all she can say. "He's a nice guy and one heck of an artist." Davis adds. She blinks blankly and is about say something when something lands to the left.

The self styled Davis Motomiya tilts off balance and they fall on their right side. She untangles herself from the teen and stands. She blinks as she examines 'Davis' and looks away to see who else is along for the ride. She notices Henry rubbing the side of his head and Ryo just sitting up. He blinks as she notices the others that were traveling with 'Davis' and her.

"Henry! Your awake!" Suzie shouts and hugs the level head Tamer. "Momentai, Suzie. They were just knocked out." Terriermon says as a group of Digimon come running over. She blinks as she _looks_ at the Digimon that she knows were partnered with fictional. "Kari! You ok?" The white cat Digimon called Gatomon asks the brown haired girl with reddish brown eyes that reminded her of Takato's eyes.

She fights to remain in wake, fighting off the urge to faint as the Digidestine talk with their partner Digimon. She finds that Henry and Ryo seem just as alarmed about this as she is, though Kenta, Kazu, Suzie, Ai, and Mako seem find with this. "What's going on?" Henry asks and a few seconds later an angel looking Digimon appears and says in a dual voice, "I think they deleted TyrantKabuterimon, but any other Digimon in the area are likely awake. We need to go now." "Where's Takato? Guilmon?" Ken asks, she's not the only one glancing frantically around, looking for the Tamer goggle head.

(-Tai-)

He rubs his temples in hopes of relieving his head ache. It's been a hectic day and all he wants is to get some sleep. He can easily hear Agumon's snores from where he's lying, but it's not Agumon's snores that were keeping him awake, it was his worry for the teen that was practically his little brother even though they don't share the same blood.

He rolls onto his right side; he can see the window from where he's laying. He sighs and thinks about what happened once they defeated TyrantKabuterimon…

(:-:)

They gathered around Izzy, those partners that could go Ultimate did to defeat them against the Digimon that were guarding this dimension. Beelzemon, WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, and Phoenixmon lead the defendering Digimon against the attacking Digimon. Izzy finally connected up to Hypnos and the portal leading out of the dimension opened.

He was torn between trying to buy time so that they can search for Takato or for them all to leave this reality. Kari shouts, "We got to leave! I don't know about you guys, but I think Takato and Guilmon are already captured. They might not even be in this reality now." They all were silent and then he began to give orders, everyone listened and they exited out of the reality by the portal. Their partners transformed back into their rookie forms before they came through the gate.

(:-:)

He feels like he failed Takato and Guilmon, since they should have expected that GranDracmon would try something. _'I shouldn't have let the two of them out of my sight! Now we can't help them since we don't know where he's at!'_ He thinks to himself as he curls up, hugging his knees to his chest.

He must have drifted off for he's startled as something drops. He blinks as his eyes adjust to the darkness. "Who's there?" He finally demands. Something lands on the ground before him. He just stares at the rookie that had once stalked Takato during that December before they defeated Myotismon.

"What are you doing here?" He hisses at Petitmamon. "Uhm, I kind of haven't left since Takato gave me this letter to give his parents. There're real nice too, though they didn't seem to believe me about what happened to Takato, at least until I showed them this." The rookie says and hands him a picture of Kari, Takato, and himself hanging out with Matt and Sora at a park about a year before the second group was formed to deal with Ken when he was the Digimon Emperor.

He smiles at the picture, remembering the events that happened that day. He hands the picture back and then studies the rookie. "I wondered what Takato did to get you to stop stalking him." He tells the virus Digimon. "So where is he? I really want to thank him for everything he did for me." Petitmamon tells him. He sighs and says, "GranDracmon captured him when we rescued his friends." Petitmamon blinks in surprise and kind of falls onto his butt. "GranDracmon means to force Takato to Bio Merge with him." The rookie says softly after a few minutes.

He stiffens and suddenly feeling very uneasy. "But isn't GranDracmon a mega, right? So nothing will happen. I mean, he's at the highest level there is." He says and Petitmamon gives him a pitying look. "There are some Digimon that have some other form, it's not a mode change since they under go a total make over. Daemon's true form is this huge ugly monster with really long arms. Then there's another Digimon called Arkadimon who keeps his name, no matter his level of evolution. Then there's this god type called Millenniumon who's said to have to other forms and can only attain them by getting destroyed." Petitmamon tells him.

He blinks as he remembers the younger group's encounter with a Daemon. "I don't get it, if he doesn't have this other evolution, why does he need Takato?" He asks. "You do know that Takato created Guilmon, right? And even his champion form?" Petitmamon ask, he nods twice and the rookie then says, "If Takato can add to Guilmon's evolution there isn't any reason that Takato couldn't do it again if Takato ends up with another Digimon as his partner." "Are you saying that GranDracmon plans on … going to get rid of Guilmon?" He asks, a large weight presses on his gut, wishing feverishly that's his wrong.

Petitmamon shifts his weight, a sign that the rookie was nervous. "He's not going to delete Guilmon, just force him into a form where his ties to Takato are weak, really weak. Then GranDracmon will attempt to enter into the void between the two." Petitmamon says. He groans and hits the mattress. He can only think of one form of Guilmon's evolution where Takato and Guilmon's bond are at its weakest. "Megidramon." He whispers, just saying the name sends shivers up and down his spine.

(-Kari-)

She yawns as she enters into the kitchen, she notices that Rika's already up as was Yolei. She glances to where Rika's grandmother is making in the breakfast. She doesn't know where Rika's mother is, but guesses that she's around since she did see her last night.

She heads to the table and sits across from Rika; she notices that the red head seems to be lost in her thoughts. About two minutes after she arrives, her brother enters into room. She stares at Tai's face, noticing how tired and worn he looks. "Tai?" She asks and Tai looks startled at hearing his name. Tai looks in her direction and looks puzzled until he realise that it's his sister that sitting at the table that had said his name.

Tai smiles sheepishly and glances behind him, then moves out of the door way to let Agumon, Veemon, Calumon, and Gatomon into the room. Renamon appears from the shadows behind Rika, startling everyone but Rika and her grandmother, but then Seiko, Rika's grandmother, is in the kitchen. Rika smiles slightly at their reactions, Calumon's ears grow and the little white Digimon flies through the air and lands on the table, just in front of Rika.

She watches her elder brother, concerned about him. Tai walks to the table and sits to her left. "Tai?" She says softly and Tai smiles tiredly at her. "I just had a lot on my mind." Her elder brother replies. "Does this have anything to do with that Petitmamon that's hiding in your bedding?" Renamon asks. Her eyes widen as she remembers where she heard that name before.

"He kind of spilt the beans on what GranDracmon wants to do with Takato and Guilmon." Tai admits to the room of people and Digimon. "And what does this GranDracmon plan on doing to them?" Rika asks in a cold and very controlled tone, this startled her since while she heard about some of Rika's attitude and mannerisms, she hasn't experience them yet. So it seems even Tai's taken back it, but he answers Rika's question. "It seems that he wants to weaken Takato and Guilmon's bond before forcing a Bio Merge with Takato." "But he can't do that!" Yolei explodes, clearly out rage by this plan of GranDracmon.

Rika looks startled, as if she had forgotten that Yolei was sitting to her right. "That's just wrong!" Yolei adds hotly, ignoring the looks she's getting. "Wrong or not, it seems that it's already in the process of happening." Renamon says calmly, Calumon looks sad about what's happening with Takato and Guilmon. The other Digimon also have a solemn looks on their faces.

Within minutes Davis, Ken, Matt, Cody, and Joe came walking into the room, each look tired and had most likely been woken up by Yolei's yelling. It's not long before all of the Digimon at that house were coming into the kitchen, Rika's mom also arrive, it seems that she had been sleeping and woken by so much noise from people moving about the house. She sighs, wondering what they're reactions to what Petitmamon says GranDracmon has in store for Guilmon and for Takato.

)-(

She glances around at the door of the bakery that's owned by Takato's birth parents. She takes a deep calming breath before walking through the door to the bakery. The bell tinkles and she lets go of the door and hears Tai hold the door. The bell tinkles again once Tai lets go of the door.

She sniffs the air; she can smell fresh bread and other freshly made pastries. Someone comes from the kitchen; she blinks as she studies Takehiro, the man that is Takato's birth father. Takehiro looks startled and slightly puzzled until recognition flashes across his face. "Honey, I think you should come here." Takehiro says to his wife.

Takehiro moves to the side to let Mie get a good look at Tai and her. "Oh." Mie says, stunned by their appearance. "Takato's not with you then." Mie states and they nod grimly at being the bearers of bad news. "He's been kidnapped by GranDracmon." Her elder brother informs the two parents. Mei motions for them to come into the back, Takehiro flips the open sign to close and follows after.

(-Rika-)

She studies the picture that has Takato and a few of the other Digidestine in it. She frowns as she notices how close Kari and Takato are. "So Kari and Takato were close?" She asks Calumon. "Yip! They liked to hang out and to stuff together before TK moved back." The innocent Digimon says.

"I heard that people mistook them for twins." Calumon adds and she blinks, snapping out of her jealous thoughts. "Why would they think that?" She asks. "Well, Takato got adopted by the Kamiya's and Kari and Takato do kind of look similar." Calumon answers. "You mean Kari and Takato are more like siblings then… close friends?" She asks, trying to keep her relief out of her tone. "Well they are close, but they do call each other brother and sister." Calumon says, clueless to the fact that she had thought that Takato might have been dating Kari while he was in that reality.

"But you should have seen how Takato and Tai acted while filming this movie! Takato had to dress up as a large white Minotor, or was it Monitar?" Calumon says. She blinks and puzzles out what the little white Digimon with emerald eyes is trying to say. "Minotaur?" She asks and Calumon nods and claps his hands. "Yea, that's the word! He was one of the main characters of the movie! He killed Gennai's character at the end! You should see it; Mimi even got the demo DVD for the movie!" Calumon says, clearly excited about this movie.

She smiles slightly; she's interested in seeing just how well Takato can act. She pictures Takato wearing a white bull mask and a body suit. "Why don't we find Mimi now and see if Henry and the others are interested in watching it? I'm sure I can make some popcorn to snack on while we watch it." She says and Calumon cheers.

It doesn't take long to find the others; Jeri had arrived with Henry, Suzie, and their partners. She mentions that Takato starred in a movie and soon they were helping her track down where Mimi is within the house. It didn't take them long before they talked Mimi into letting them watch the movie, to help think up ways to help improve the extras and what not.

Their partner Digimon joined them, Calumon sitting in Ai's lap and to her right is Mako holding a bowl of popcorn with Impmon to Mako's right. Once they're all comfortable, she opens and closes the DVD player. The screen goes from its previous display to this menu. There were four opinions and she just selects play movie. She sits back and turns up the volume on the TV, she's interested in seeing Takato making a fool of himself.

)-(

She pushes the menu button and it goes back to the four opinions. They were all stunned by what they had just watched. "Was it just me or did those costumes look a little too real?" Jeri asks. "Did you see how cool those gryphons looked!" Kazu says right after Jeri. Soon Terriermon and Impmon add their two cent in.

Then they glance at Calumon, the little guy has just dived bombed into the bowl of popcorn that Mako was holding. "Ok, who did the costumes?" Impmon demands from Calumon. "I think it was this machine that Gennai invented is what dressed them up using Takato sketches of the characters." Calumon says thoughtfully. They glance at each other and they all were clueless about this machine.

"So Takato played Ryouji and Tai played Akarui?" She asks the white in training Digimon. "Uh huh. And Gennai played Saya and Cody played General Stormram." Calumon says. "Are you sure they used some kind of machine to do those costumes?" Ryo asks. "Yea! Tai actually used it for his Halloween costume. It then also caused Guilmon to become a ghost and then some of the robots of the haunted house came to life. Tai even grow black wings and flew for a bit."

Even she didn't know how to react to that. Before they could say anything, Mimi appears with Palmon. "So, what do you think about the DVD?" Mimi asks. They turned as one and soon everyone was asking the pink haired young woman about how they did the costumes and such. It was going to be a long afternoon.

(-Tai-)

They had spent most of the afternoon at the bakery. He even had been able to borrow most of Takato's DVD collection to watch at Rika's later. They had received an E-Mail message from Izzy saying that he had been able to rent the two complete seasons of Digimon the cartoon show.

Soon they hook up with Matt and TK, he watches as Kari brightens up just being in TK's presence. Matt and him exchanges grins and Matt then notices the bag containing the DVDs he's plundered from Takato's collection. "What's in the bag?" "I raided Takato's DVD collection." He replies and Matt chuckles. "Still the loving brother, huh?" Matt teases. "Of course! I need to make sure that these," he shakes the bag, "don't contain questionable material." Even TK and Kari chuckle and they soon head off to the district where Rika's house is located.

As they entered through the gate, they watch as Mimi comes tearing towards them and then out of the gate. They all blink and glance at Palmon for an explanation. "I think she had it with all the questions about the movie." Was all the Digimon was willing to say on the matter. Kari sighs and heads out to go talk with Mimi, leaving the guys to deal with whatever drove Mimi off the property.

They were entered to find the Tamers and their Digimon watching something on the TV. A few turned and glance at them before returning to watching whatever's on the TV. He noticed a new face and guesses that it's Jeri, the girl who lost her partner to Beelzemon. He exchange looks with Matt and TK, and then he heads off to check on Takato's pack. Wonder if the Tamers found something in it that set them off or whatever.

(-Kari-)

The Monster Maker, Hypnos, Yolei, and Izzy were finally able to get a lock on Takato's D-Ark. It had taken them a whole week, but they now have a location. By tomorrow they'll have an anchor set up that will allow them to enter into that reality.

She glances to where Rika is sitting, Rika and her have had a few private talks and while they didn't become fast friends, they didn't really became enemies. She figures that given time, Rika and her will become friends but she doubts they'll have time to do so once they rescue Takato and Guilmon.

At the thought of her adopted brother, she gets waves of dread and sorrow. _'Why is it that all the bad guys want more power? Don't they have enough of it, especially those that are mega level Digimon. They're at the top and yet they still want more. Honestly, can't they learn from previous examples or are they just plain dumb?'_ She thinks hotly to herself, picking up some steaming rice with her chop sticks and popping what she picked up into her mouth.

They were to meet up with the rest of the Tamers over at the park. They were going to talk about had happened with Takato being present for their adventures. They kind of decide it was time to talk about their relationships with the yellow goggle wearing teen while they still have time to visit and get to know each a little better. She looks forward to hearing more recent tales of her adopted brother, before this whole thing with GranDracmon occurred.

She wonders how much Takato changed since her parents adopted him. Takato was fourteen when he landed in their reality and if the years he spent with them were added to his actual age then Takato would be about twenty years old right now. That's a long time and people change over time, which means that Takato has as well. It also means that the others will also have to deal with the changes her once upon a time 'twin' has gone through during his time in her reality. _'I guess they'll have some ideas of how Takato's changed after today.'_ She thinks to herself, once more focusing on her traditional breakfast.

(-Takato-)

It felt like his heart has been ripped out of him as he felt a part of him weaken. He cries out as soon as he felt it, he feels tears running down his face as he goes numb. He feels half death that a gaping void has arrived and he can't seem to bother trying to fight being suck into it. He sobs as something grabs him and pulls him away from the void.

He lets himself black out, hoping that whatever happened will only turn out to be a nightmare and that when he wakes; he'll once more be whole…

(-Rika-)

She looks through the drawings that Takato had drawn while living with the Kamiyas. She smiles slightly at the ones of their partners, there weren't many of them in there for most of the drawings were of cartoon characters and such. _'These are a whole lot better then what he use to draw. But then, he has had more then enough time to practice, hasn't he?'_ She thinks to herself as she comes across one Takato must have done for the movie.

Once she's done, she hands them over to Ryo. They had finish listening to the Digidestine tales of their adventures and even about some of the more recent events. She still can't believe that Mimi, Yolei, and Sora had been able to get Takato and most of the second group to change their styles. She can't help but notice that it does make them seem more real and that might just be the reason why few people realize who they really are.

Pictures of Calumon dressed up in different outfits were also making their way around the group as well as some ones of the Digidestine just hanging out. She snickers at some of the cloths that Calumon ended up dressed in. She passes the pictures once Ryo finishes looking through Takato's drawings. She chuckles at the one from the recent Halloween; she shakes her head at the costumes that Takato and Guilmon were wearing. "Who did Takato dress up as?" Ryo asks once she passes him that picture. "Naruto. Guilmon was his own ghost." Davis answers.

"Sounds like something he would do." Terriermon comments and Impmon just nods in agreement. "Who did you guys dress up as?" Kazu asks. "I was Edward Eric from Fullmetal Alchemist." Davis says. "Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist." Yolei admits. "I was Urd from Oh My Goddesses!" Mimi says. "Cloud from Final Fantasy." Matt says and TK then says, "Danny Phantom from Danny Phantom." "Ranma from Ranma ½." Joe admits uncomfortably. "Toboe from Wolf's Rain." Cody says. "Koga from Inu-Yasha." Ken says. "Elisa Maza from Gargoyles." Kari says. "Sakura from CardCaptors." Sora says and Izzy says, "Son Goku from Saiyuki."

Some of those shows don't exist in this reality were Naruto, Oh My Goddesses!, Ranma ½, Saiyuki, and Inu-Yasha, but she can only guess that Gargoyles and Danny Phantom were American shows. She makes a mental note to check out and see if the two American shows exist in this reality. She asks just to make sure they were American shows, "Gargoyles and Danny Phantom sound American, are they?" Kari and TK nod and she's glad that she guessed right.

Kenta asked for information on those five shows that don't exist. They all were eager to learn more about the character Takato dressed up as. She never figured Takato would go so far as wearing contacts for a Halloween costume.

(-Tai-)

He glances around the large dimly lit room, not sure where they landed. He glances around to see if the others were with him, he sighs in relief that his fears were unfounded as he glances one last time at Kari and Gatomon. "Is everyone alright?" He asks once Agumon stands by his side. Grunts of acknowledgments were all he got from the group of Digidestine and Tamers.

He glances up at the ceiling of the room, he wonders if there's a light switch some where in the room. "So who'll 'torch' the place?" Terriermon asks. "Good one." Gomamon says. "Bada Boom!" Impmon says, small fire balls hover at the tips of Impmon's fingers. "Thanks Impmon!" Mako says, Impmon looks slightly happy on getting a compliment from one of his partners.

He glances around to where the light begins to fade and thus the shadows begin. He motions for Impmon to take explore, the rookie struts forward as if he owns the place. About ten feet from their position, Impmon's fire balls illuminate stone rumble. Impmon then heads to his right and then the rookie follows the trail of rumble, they move behind Impmon, following the rookie but keeping eight feet between them and the virus Digimon.

Soon enough they find a large hole in the wall. Almost everyone turns to look at him, expecting him to decide what to do next. "We might as well continue." He says and they pick up the pace, the Digimon moving more to the fringes of the group, herding the humans into the middle of their formation. He just sighs mentally, but doesn't point out that they're making a larger target just by grouping together. Plus the sense of danger causes him to feel more secure being with the others, even though he knows deep down that they would cover more ground by splitting up.

'_But then we could be picked off that way as well.'_ He thinks to himself as they wait for Impmon to refresh his Bada Boom fire balls. They haven't found much as they walk down this hallway, though the fact that there won't any windows makes him wonder if they weren't in the basement of some building. If they are, then he hasn't seen anything to indicate what the building has been used for, especially the basement portion.

They find some stairs; they all gawk at the size of the doors that leads to the stairwell. "There better be a goose that lays golden eggs up there." Terriermon mutters and Henry can be heard groaning silently. He can't help but grin. "If we're lucky, the giant might not even be home and we can steal the singing harp as well." Gomamon adds cheerfully, this time it's Joe that's groaning. The mood lifts and he's kind of glad that they had two jokers in the group.

)-(

He grunts as he hits the ground hard, he rolls to his right, narrowly escaping a missile that was coming towards him. He glares at the one of the four Kokuwamon X, the one that's glaring at him. "Petit Thunder!" The one glaring at him says, he lands on the belly to evade the attack. "Leave my partner alone! Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouts, the attack hits the Kokuwamon X in the left arm.

He can hear Renamon shout out, "Diamond Storm!" As he stands, he watches as the white shards that appear before the yellow Digital fox, then as Renamon uncrosses her arms, the shards launch themselves into the closest Kokuwamon X. The Digital metal bug hits the ground, one of the other four Digimon attempts to ram the humanoid fox.

He glances to where the fallen Digimon lies, from his position he can already see that the injuries were healing. _'This is reminding me of what Guilmon had mentioned just after arriving back from defeating DeathXmon. Didn't that guy have accelerated healing?'_ He wonders, he tries to think about it, not noticing that someone's taking aim at him. "Tai!" Matt shouts just as the blond tackles him to the ground, he wonders how sore he'll be tomorrow once they've rescued his adopted brother and his partner.

"Thanks, Matt." He says as he coughs. "Blue Blaster!" Gabumon shouts, the Kokuwamon X that had fired at him was covered in blue flames. "Spiral Twister!" Biyomon shouts, the green flames added to the blue flames, the Digimon seems to phase slightly, most likely reaching his injury tolerance. "Erase Claw!" Cyberdramon growls out, the attack hits the one he's observing as well as the one that Renamon and Palmon were fighting.

The attacks delete the pair and while Ryo tries to control his berserker partner. Once Cyberdramon killed off the remaining two X Digimon, the ultimate Digimon runs off with Ryo, Suzie, Lopmon, Cody, and Armadillomon racing after the berserker. He's not the only one stunned by this turn of events.

It was Kari who broke the silence by asking, "Should we split up to go after them?" He sighs and glances over to at Rika and then at Kari before saying, "If there are any volunteers to do so…" Henry, Matt, TK, and Kari step up and he nods and they head off with their partners, he just hopes that they'll be alright as they chase off after Ryo and them.

He glances over to where Ai and Mako were, then over to where Impmon is. Silently Impmon warps Digivolves into Beelzemon, he sighs and runs a hand through his semi tamed hair. "We'll rest here for now and once we continue onwards, we'll mark the way to help them find us, alright?" He says and the remaining humans and Digimon nod in agreement. They all sit down; he attempts to clean his cloths by shaking them. He glances at Ken, wondering what's up with the teen. He shakes his head, deciding he has other things to worry about then whatever is bothering Ken.

To be continued …


	19. Lighting the Way

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 19

She stares at the large dragon man that's covered in black armour, holding a pair of crocked swords. Shining grey spikes exit from behind the helmet, making her wonder if it isn't hair. Henry reads out the information on this Digimon:

**Gaioumon**

Mega level Digimon

Virus attribute

Dragon Man type. Attacks are Fire Cutter Blade and Gaia Reactor

Terriermon whistles and then jumps from Henry's shoulder onto the ground between Henry and Gaioumon. She glances at Matt and Gabumon, then at TK and Patamon, and then finally at her own partner, Gatomon. She stiffens as Gaioumon asks, "Which one of you believes they can take me on?"

They all glance at each other, already wary of such a declaration. "We will." Matt says and Gabumon nods in agreement with his partner. Matt glances at TK, then at Henry, and then at her. They move back, giving Gabumon room to warp Digivolve into MetalGarurumon.

Soon MetalGarurumon and Gaioumon were circling each other, each seemly waiting for some unspoken signal to attack. There's tension as if time itself seems to have slowed down, she swears she could hear her heart pounding in the silence as MetalGarurumon and Gaioumon stare at each other, then just as she thought the silence would never end, the two megas charge each other.

The sound of metal encounter each other causes her to blink. Soon the pair of mega Digimon continue to clash, Gaioumon's swords glancing off of MetalGarurumon's armour body, most likely scratching armour. From where she stands, it looks like MetalGarurumon's on the defensive since Matt's partner doesn't have the reach that Gaioumon has. She's surprised that MetalGarurumon's metal wings were still attached to his body, with all the clashes with the two crocked blades MetalGarurumon has had already.

MetalGarurumon pulls away from Gaioumon and missiles reveal themselves before MetalGarurumon shouts out, "Metal Wolf Claw!" Gaioumon keeps leaping backwards and as the mega comes close to the wall he jumps up out of the way. "Fire Cutter Blade!" Gaioumon shouts as the enemy Digimon closes in on MetalGarurumon. MetalGarurumon evades the blunt of the attack, but still cries out in pain as the blades continue to descend towards where MetalGarurumon had been standing.

MetalGarurumon recovers quickly, faster then what she thought he would, and bites Gaioumon's right leg. The armour clad wolf like Digimon tugs sharply on the leg, throwing Gaioumon off balance. It seems that the dragon man also hadn't expected MetalGarurumon to bite him. MetalGarurumon lets go and breathes frost at Gaioumon, Gaioumon quickly counters by using the flat of the blade in the hand closest to MetalGarurumon to knock MetalGarurumon away.

Sadly, it looks like some of Gaioumon's body has been affected by MetalGarurumon's icy breath attack. She smiles slightly in relief that MetalGarurumon was able to land a blow against the Digimon that kind of reminds her of WarGreymon. She glances at TK; she notices that her crush looks more tense then his own elder brother, Matt, and its Matt's own partner that is currently battling against Gaioumon.

"TK?" She asks softly, ignoring the battle, even though it sounds exciting. TK looks at her, blinking as he comes out of his own thoughts and she notices the worried look in her friend's eyes. "TK?" She asks softly, her hand seeking out one of TK's. "Kari." TK says softly. TK squeezes her hand and she smiles slightly, hoping to reassure the blond a tiny bite.

They continue to hold hands as they return to watching MetalGarurumon battle it out with Gaioumon. Currently MetalGarurumon is attempting to weave through Gaioumon's attacking blades. The two do land blows on each other; they have yet to resort to using special attacks once more.

She watches as MetalGarurumon ducks and then attempts to ram Gaioumon with his head. Gaioumon pulls back as does MetalGarurumon, the two Digimon glare at each other. She narrows her eyes as she notices that Gaioumon's icy wounds were almost already healed. She then glances at Matt, then Henry, Gatomon, Patamon, and then at TK.

"Gaioumon's wounds from MetalGarurumon's icy breath attack seem to have been completely healed." She tells TK softly. "Really? How can you tell? I can barely make out Gaioumon with all of this darkness." TK says, clearly surprised. "You can't see him?" She asks in surprise. Patamon and Gatomon look at her and nod in agreement with TK. "I might be a cat, but even I can't see that clearly in this place. There just isn't enough light to help me see clearly." Gatomon admits.

She blinks and glances over to where Matt's standing, beginning to wonder if the reason the elder blond hasn't shouted out encouragements is that Matt couldn't see what's happening between the two Digimon. "Then why can I?" She wonders out loud. "You are the Digidestine of Light and light and darkness does seem to go hand in hand." Henry muses. "You're saying that because of the lack of light around here is activating the light that's within me?" She asks. "You did light up that one time when we were in the sewers." Gatomon muses.

She remembers that whole incident; she also remembers what it was like to be a human night light for a few seconds. She focuses within herself, trying to see if that same thing is trying to happen once more. The warmth of that incident that she remembers is there, just not as strong as it had been. She closes her eyes so she isn't distracted by what she sees.

She pokes and prods the warmth within her, trying to locate the source of the energy within her. _'Light is more of an element then a virtue. If so, then I'm part of this element and if I'm a part of it, then it's apart of me.'_ She thinks as she attempts to bring out her internal light to help illuminate the room.

'_Kari?'_ A thought echoes as if it's traveled through a tunnel. _'Who's there!'_ She calls out, she finds herself before two pillars that a figure is chained to. "Guilmon?" She asks and the figure stirs, she moves forward slowly and freezes when she identifies the figure. "Takato!" She rushes forward, but runs into some kind of barrier. "Kari?" Takato asks weakly, her heart seems to break just by looking at him. Takato's eyes open slightly and rises his head to look at her.

She can feel tears well up in her eyes, the look of misery in Takato's eyes made her cry as she shouts out, "TAKATO!" She feels something snap within her and suddenly she falling forward, the pillars are gone and so is Takato. "Kari!" She hears before she blacks out, unable to stay awake.

(-GranDracmon-)

He snarls as he feels the Digidestine of Light locate and harmonize with Takato. He forces the connection to break, but not before Kari unlocks and unleashes light upon this world. He glances at the boy within the pod, soon enough Takato's body will be ready for the Bio Merge, even if his mind isn't.

He pauses and looks at his latest experiment. "Go, kill the Digidestine of Light and her partner." He orders the mega. The beast snarls and he once more uses Eye of the Gorgon on the beast, it then turns and slithers away. Even if the beast does one day successes in becoming immune to that attack, he could always have the beast as decoration.

(-Rika-)

They all watch in awe as the darkness retreats, soon they can see much better then they could just a few minutes ago. "Kari!" Tai says and races off in the direction that they had taken. She glances at Renamon before following the others.

She keeps a pace that Ai and Mako can keep without much difficulty. Joe notices and also slows down. Joe then kneels down and offers Ai a ride, she does the same with Mako and soon Joe and her are jogging with the siblings on their backs. "You're pretty strong." She admits after a few minutes. "Thanks, but then carrying Gomamon and your books will do that to you." Joe admits. She smirks slightly at that and replies, "Guess so."

It takes them a grand total of twenty-eight minutes for them to arrive at the location that the others are. She lets Mako off and she glances at the Digimon that MetalGarurumon is currently fighting. She frowns, not liking that the armoured Digimon looks more refreshed then MetalGarurumon. "Fire Cutter Blade!" The mega shouts, aiming at Matt which causes MetalGarurumon to shout out, "Matt!" MetalGarurumon takes the blunt of the attack, saving his partner in the process.

The light fades around MetalGarurumon, she's not surprise to find a heavily injured Gabumon lying on the floor. "Gabumon? Gabumon!" Matt shouts out as the blond kneels before the exhausted form of his partner. "Matt!" TK shouts, she turns and watches as the younger blond charge forward with his orange partner a heart beat behind him.

"Patamon Bio Merge to…." Patamon says and soon TK and Patamon were surrounded by a sphere of light. "GuardiAngemon!" The dual voice of both TK and Patamon say just as the light fades revealing a humanoid mega with metal angel wings. She checks her D-Ark for information on the mega before her.

**GuardiAngemon**

Mega level Digimon

Vaccine attribute

Power type. Attacks are Heaven's Ripper and Holy Espade

She shakes her head, she's impressed, sure she heard that Patamon and TK can Bio Merge, it's another thing to actually see it. _'I always wondered what other evolutions Patamon has for his mega. This form does look more threatening then Seraphimon. I wonder how well they'll do against blackie over there.'_ She thinks to herself as she glances at the black armoured Digimon.

"Well, well, well… This is differently going to be interesting." The Digimon that kind of looks like a WarGreymon says on studying GuardiAngemon. "You're going down." The mega that looks like an angel with metal wings says in their dual voice.

The two megas don't say anything more and they're soon locked in combat, blades locked and they're both pushing against each other. It's not long before swarms of lower level Digimon, some were rookies, others champions, and then there were a few ultimates. She blinks as she notices how odd looking they were. It turned out that half of the Digimon attacking were those with that X at the end of their names.

The group were soon on the offensive, oddly enough none of the enemy Digimon were interfering between the two megas fight. _'But then, they wouldn't want to make blackie angry.'_ She thinks to herself. She takes out a few cards from her deck, she glances through the five card and picks two of them to use and puts the remaining three back into her deck. "Digimodify! Frigimon's Subzero Ice Punch activate!" She says calmly as she swipes the first card through her D-Ark.

"It's time to cool you guys off, Subzero Ice Punch!" The humanoid fox Digimon says, the punch freezes eight of the enemy Digimon of the rookie level. "Diamond Storm!" Renamon shouts as the attack hits the frozen Digimon, deleting them. She watches as Henry slashes a card through his D-Ark as he says, "Digimodify! Sagittarimon's Judgement Arrow activate!"

Gargomon soon fires off an arrow at a group of virus Digimon; it takes out about four right off the bat and injuries eight others. Gatomon leap frog from Gargomon's head and into the group that's coming towards Gargomon as the champion rests. "Lightning Paw!" Gatomon says, her fist glows blue as the white cat Digimon attacks one of the ultimate Digimon in the gang.

She turns away and watches as Renamon tag teams with Stingmon and ExVeemon. Beelzemon stands behind the group of humans, shooting at the Digimon that attempt to attack them from behind. Aquilamon, Garudamon, and Kabuterimon were like fighter pilots, bombing the ground bound enemy Digimon when they attempt to organize ranks well at least when they're not evading aerial attacks from other flier Digimon.

Like Garudamon, most of the elder Digidestine Digimon were in their ultimate forms, the exceptions were Kabuterimon and Ikkakumon. She narrows her eyes at a new comer, a humanoid crow with a golden sword. She glances over at Davis and Ken, she jerks her head to the entrance and the pair of teenage boys nod in agreement. "ExVeemon! Collapse that doorway!" Davis shouts and Ken says, "Help ExVeemon, Stingmon!" "Right." "Roger." The two champion Digimon say, Stingmon guards ExVeemon's back as the blue champion uses his V-Laser on the doorway.

She turns away and to watch as Renamon engages the crow looking Digimon. She fingers the second card and bites her lower lip as the crow Digimon lands a series of blows on Renamon. Her resolve is strengthened and she slashes the second card through her D-Ark. "Digimodify! WereGarurumon's Wolf Claw activate!" She shouts and Renamon leaps backwards then before charging forward shouts, "Wolf Claw!" The attack hits the sword welding crow Digimon. Renamon follows up with a kick to the Digimon's chin.

The humanoid crow uses his wings to keep from landing on the ground. She notices the calculating look in the Digimon's dark eyes. "Renamon!" She shouts and soon Renamon's enclosed in a sphere of light. "Renamon Digivolved to…" Then in slightly mature voice, "Kyubimon!" The sphere fades revealing her partner's champion form. "Go get him, Kyubimon!" She shouts out encouragingly.

The crow looking Digimon charges as soon as Kyubimon is revealed. The nine tail fox Digimon ducks under the attacking sword. "Crow Sword!" The crow man says, hitting her partner in the left shoulder. The Digimon follows up with a punch to her face. "He must be a virus and an ultimate too." She muses out loud. She reaches into her deck and brings out seven cards.

She glances through them and smirks at one of the cards she drew from her deck. "Digimodify! Feathered Wings activate!" She shouts as she slashes the card through the D-Ark. A pair of blue wings covered in feathers appears on Kyubimon's back and the Digital crow man looks surprised and her partner takes advantage of his surprise by ramming into the guy's body.

Kyubimon launches herself higher into the air and then as the wings disappear the nine tailed Digital fox shouts, "Dragon Wheel!" Kyubimon spins as blue fire begins to cover and then the blue flames take the shape of a Chinese dragon. The black coloured Digimon cries out in pain, then as her partner lands and deafening roar echoes through out the building.

GuadiAngemon finishes off his opponent just as the roar dies down. "What was that?" The mega asks, she notices that the enemy Digimon were already glancing nervously around for an escape route. She glances to where the crow man is and finds that he looks worried. "Karatenmon, sir! What should we do?" One of the champion Digimon ask the crow man. "Retreat, it seems that our lord has sent _him_." The Digimon now known as Karatenmon says.

Then the enemy Digimon surround the winged Digimon and soon the Digimon chants something and the most of the Digimon vanish along with Karatenmon, only those that were at the edge of the group remain and they were try to flee through one of the three doorways, well two if you discard the one that ExVeemon blocked off.

"Megid Flame!" The fleeing Digimon were deleted as something crushes through the wall facing said doorway. She stiffens as she stares at the Digimon that just crashed through the building. "It can't be…" She hears someone say, only to realise that she's the one who said that.

"Megidramon…" Henry says. She just nods in agreement, feeling that if Guilmon's like this, she fears for the condition of Takato, Guilmon's partner.

(-Tai-)

"Megidramon…" He hears Gargomon's partner, Henry, say. _'Oh shit…'_ He thinks to himself as the red mega dragon Digimon stares in his direction. A sense of dread and a sickening weight in his gut, he shifts Kari's body that's on his back, trying to keep his sister's body from falling off his back.

A low menacing growl comes from the red dragon after he makes sure Kari's more secure on his back. _'Oh no…'_ Was all he can think as the red virus Digimon moves more into the room as the volume of growls increases, he takes a few steps back, Megidramon continues to stare at him, or perhaps he should say, her. _'He's after Kari!'_ He thinks as he realises who the real target is.

"I can't believe that's Guilmon!" Yolei sudden shouts. Megidramon snarls and roars as Beelzemon and the other Digimon move between the humans and the mega. "Ok Pineapple head, you know the drill. There's no getting to the humans without going through us!" Beelzemon says, cracking his knuckles. "GuardiAngemon! You need to take Kari and run, it's Kari he's after." He shouts, the mega turns and then nods slowly.

As he hands Kari over to GuardiAngemon, he's careful to avoid the arm blades. All the while Megidramon is snarling and getting tense, ready to launch himself in their direction. "Go!" Beelzemon shouts as Megidramon attempts to ram right through the Digimon lines to get to Kari.

GuardiAngemon does as so, he watches as Beelzemon's Double Impact hits Megidramon in the chest. Then an ear splitting roar echoes throughout the room. He keels over with his hands covering his ears trying to block the roar.

(-Kari-)

She's bouncing in someone's arms, she groans as something jabs into her lower back. She cracks open her eyes, she opens her eyes wide as she glancing at the metal helmet of GuardiAngemon. "TK? What's going on?" She asks as she realise that he… they're carrying her.

"Guilmon's now Megidramon and GranDracmon might have already forced a Bio Merge with Takato." GuardiAngemon informs her. A deafening roar echoes through the hallway. "Was that?" She asks, she stiffens as she attempts to glance pass GuardiAngemon's shoulder and wings. "Most likely." GuardiAngemon says in their dual voice, clearly worried and unnerved by the roar.

She shivers slightly and then something she remembers before she blacked out. "I saw Takato… He looked so… broken and lifeless. I couldn't get to him; something was keeping me from him." She says softly. "So GranDracmon hasn't forced the Bio Merge then…" She notices that there's more of TK in that sentence then Patamon.

She ponders a few things as GuardiAngemon continues to carry her away. She replays the whole incident in her mind, remembering what Takato looked like, chained between those pillars. She sighs and then stiffens. "Do you feel that?" She asks, GuardiAngemon slows and then stops.

As they hover in the air, from ahead a swarm of Digimon come towards them. "Damn it!" GuardiAngemon curses in their dual voice. "Duck!" She shouts and GuardiAngemon lands on the ground. A deafening roar once more echoes through the hallway, she notices that it's louder then before.

The swarm pause in confusion and a red blur flies over head. The swarm's cries died down as this red dragon that she knows is Guilmon deletes them. The red dragon lands and GuardiAngemon lets her stand, then moves before her. "Guilmon…" She says as she studies the mega's face.

Megidramon growls an acknowledgement at that name. "Get back, Kari. He's not to be trusted. He's too feral in this form." GuardiAngemon tells her, she notices that this time there's more of Patamon in the voice then TK. "But he's still Guilmon and therefore, he's still our friend." She says softly, oddly enough she doesn't feel any fear, something that kind of surprises her.

"You remember me, don't you? I'm Karimon…" She says as she stares up at Megidramon's face. "Kari…mon?" The mega growls out after a few minutes of staring at her. The corners of her lips turn upward and she nods slowly. "That's what you use to call me. Just as you use to call Takato, Takatomon." She says softly.

Something flashes in Megidramon's eyes on hearing Takatomon. She pushes past GuardiAngemon. "Takatomon, you remember who he is, don't you?" She continues. Megidramon nods as well as growls in response. "GranDracmon, he has Takatomon." She says, the menacing snarl at GranDracmon's name spoke volumes of the mega's dislike of the mega who did this to him.

Megidramon lowers and she places a hand on his nose. "Karimon." Megidramon says softly and soon the red dragon glows and when the light disappears they find Guilmon lying on the floor. She kneels down to his side, she examines the injuries Guilmon has. "Guilmon…" She says gently, she glances up at TK and Patamon, TK looks grim at Guilmon while Patamon looks at her with something akin to awe.

)-(

After an hour Tai and the others finally arrive, Tai shouts out, "Kari!" Matt shouts out, "TK!" As soon as Tai's within reach, her elder brother embraces her. "I was so worried." Her siblings by blood says softly, which causes her to smile. "Sorry for worrying you." She says softly.

They part and she notices that Joe's already checking on Guilmon's injuries, the red virus rookie hasn't woken up since he returned to his usual state of being. She notices that Rika as a stormy look on her face, the others also have distant looks as they watch Joe begins to attend to Guilmon's injuries.

"Did you…" Matt asks, looking questioningly at TK and Patamon. "No, we didn't. Kari reasoned with him… I guess I should have known that he'd call her Karimon." TK admits, glancing sideways at her. She reddens slightly at Guilmon's nickname for her. Terriermon snorts in amusement and Henry sends the green rookie a stern look. Terriermon scratches the back of his head as he laughs nervously.

She glances to where Gatomon is, she sighs mentally and walks over to where Gatomon is standing. "I couldn't protect you." Gatomon says. She glances around; she's relieved to have some room from the group so that she can chat with Gatomon privately. She kneels down and pulls Gatomon in for a hug. "I can't protect you, even when I wish feverously I can. I get pretty worried about you, but I have to trust that you have the strength that's in you." She says after she lets Gatomon go.

Gatomon smiles slightly and nods in agreement. "I didn't know you felt like that." The white cat Digimon admits. "Well I do, I can't help but worry about you Gatomon. Unlike the others, we didn't find each other right off the bat. We were on opposite sides when we met, whether we knew it or not. I wasn't there for you when you really needed me. I know I'm close to Takato and Guilmon, it's mostly 'cause I grew up with the pair of them as my closest friends. Then when we found each other and then just as it looked like we'd have time to really get to know each other, we had to say good bye. I guess we both have reservations, that one day we might have to part yet again. I know I'm dreading the thought of parting with you again, maybe I let it come between enjoying what we have." She says to her partner.

"Kari…" Gatomon says, clearly emotional. She smiles and they hug again. "Thanks." Gatomon whispers before they pull apart. She feels so relieved to have that lifted from her shoulders, even though it'll take a long time before they overcome their fears of being parted again, but she, for one, is willing to work to overcome those fears.

(-Rika-)

They had yet to find Ryo and them, which is why Henry is so edge and worried. _'But then, having seen Megidramon… I don't blame him for being worried. I'm scared to see what GranDracmon has done to Takato…'_ She admits to herself. She's glad to have Guilmon back to his usual self; it's just that he's yet to wake up.

She glances over to where Guardromon is walking; the hunk of metal of a Digimon's stuck carrying the unconscious Guilmon. Oddly enough, Kenta and Kazu have yet to say or do anything embarrassing during the time they've been in this reality. _'But then, neither has Davis.'_ She muses as she glances at the only goggle wearing teen that's currently within the group.

She looks away, she feels guilty for being part of how Takato and Guilmon got captured. She has mixed emotions when it comes to Takato; she misses the teen with reddish brown eyes that could always bring out a smile. _'He's just a good friend, nothing more, nothing less.'_ She tells herself, even if a small part of her argues otherwise.

She just tries to focus on what's up ahead. They still don't know where they're headed and they have been running into a lot of different types of Digimon, they're beginning to wonder what makes those Digimon with that X at the end of their names so powerful and odd looking, especially considering they've faced off against those types before.

They were beginning to figure out that these X type Digimon have some kind of boost program within them that changes their appearance as well as makes them stronger, seem to take more damage, but that might be because they heal at a faster rate. Some of the older Digidestine mention something about Takato and Guilmon's run in with some Digimon called DeathXDorugoramon, who transformed into DeathXmon on getting defeated by Gallantmon. Izzy thinks that the mega was most likely a Digimon with this X program, even though the X seems to come before the mon part.

She hadn't heard about this incident, but then it seems to be Takato's story to tell and the Digidestine had admitted that Takato hadn't been with them while they were dealing with the remaining three Dark Masters. She tries to think about something else, she rather not have a headache right now, not when they need to be alert. She pause as the people in front of her stop, she glances ahead, she blinks as she realises that this is the Petitmamon that Takato had talk into delivering his letter to his parents.

"Petitmamon? What are you doing here?" Tai asks and the rookie looks nervous, but she notices that the rookie Digimon seems to be steeling himself against something. "I can lead you straight to him, to GranDracmon." The rookie Digimon says, she can tell that the Digimon's scared but does want to help.

She can't see the holder of the crest of Courage's face, but she did register the nod that Tai gives the rookie and the Petitmamon's shoulders relax slightly. The child looking Digimon turns on his heel and they follow behind the virus as he leads them down the hall. She glances to Renamon, her partner nods her head slightly and then she nods. She then keeps her eyes on the rookie before them, wondering just what's in store for them once they confront the power hungry mega.

(-Tai-)

After a grand total of four hours of following Petitmamon around, they finally come to an eerie looking set of doors. By how nervous the rookie is, he can only guess what lies beyond the close doors. "Ok, we're going to rest here for a few and then head through them doors. And I won't hear any arguments on this, a few more minutes won't hurt and we need some down time or we'll be making mistakes." He says, he stares down a few of the more rebellious members of the group.

Finally they look away and everyone sits down on the floor. He relaxes and also sits on the floor. He glances to where Petitmamon is before he glances over to where Kari is with the still unconscious Guilmon. Gatomon has already curled up and seems to be napping. The other Digimon were just as tired as Gatomon, though he's not so sure about Guardromon and MarineAngemon since one is a robot and the other's being carried around on his partner's shoulder…

He studies MarineAngemon for another second or two, wondering if the pink mega had helped defend the group before Megidramon showed up. _'But then he's so tiny that I could have easily missed him.'_ He muses to himself, but then thinks about other concerns now that they've reached the room that's GranDracmon's throne room or something.

His stomach growls loudly, soon everyone's stomach growls and he looks sheepish when almost everyone glances at him. "I'll be right back!" Petitmamon says and vanishes. About ten minutes later, the rookie appears with a heavy looking back pack. "Takato's mom packed this." Petitmamon says proudly and they soon were digging into the food that's within the bag.

He glances over to where Guilmon is and his good mood is ruined when he notices that Guilmon hasn't woken up, despite the fact that the rookie should be starving. He notices that Rika, Renamon, Impmon, Kari, Patamon, and TK were also looking over at Guilmon with worry plastered on their faces. He can tell that Henry's deep in thought, most likely worried about his little sister, Terriermon seems to be worried about his partner as well.

He studies Henry as he continues to munch on a granola bar. He knows that he needs everyone to have there head in the game, figuratively speaking. He's worried that Henry might be too distracted to be much help. He glances side ways at Petitmamon, a thought strikes him and he smiles slightly, while he'll most likely regret this as they battle against the vampire mega Digimon, he couldn't in good consciences force Henry to do something when his heart's not really in it. He resolves to speak to Henry as soon as he finishes his share of food.

To be continued …


	20. Surprised Endings

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 20

"_TAKATOMON!"_ Guilmon's voice shouts as his partner continues to assault the barrier that separates them. He struggles against his restrains, but can't seem to loosen them. _"GUILMON!"_ He shouts, yet no words come from his throat. Despite the fact that nothing they've tried has worked, they continue frantically to get to each other.

He wants to fill the empty part of his soul; he wants his brother/son/partner/friend back. He might have once lived his life without the naïve, bread loving, and fun loving Digimon that's named Guilmon, but it's different now. Nothing can really go back to the way it was before he was a Tamer. Even though the Digimon were forced back to the Digital World, a part of him deep down was content with the knowledge that Guilmon was alive and well.

The few months without Guilmon by his side might have seemed like everything returned to normal, but in reality it hadn't. He had Rika and Henry as friends, something that hadn't happened and might not have ever happened if they hadn't all become Tamers. He had also grown more confident in some aspects of his life; he once more picked up drawing and even wrote a few unfinished drafts of short stories, which is another reason he was able to point TK in the right direction for the movie script.

Guilmon is sent flying back and pain shoots through his whole body. "This just isn't working…" He mutters as he falls forward, well as much as he can since he's all tied up in chains. "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way…" He muses after Guilmon sits up and complains about being hungry. "What should we do?" Guilmon asks and he frowns as he begins to think about what they haven't tried.

(-Kari-)

She's not the only one that watches as Petitmamon, Terriermon, and Henry walk away from the group. She understand the reasons why Henry needs to go, it just that she wonders if it's for the best is all. She sighs a sigh that's echoed by most of the young women of the group.

"Ok, let's do this!" Tai says and soon every Digimon is glowing. Within four minutes their partners were at the highest level they can go, Rika and TK Bio Merge with their partners, Guardromon Digivolved into Andromon, and Armadillomon Digivolved naturally as did Hawkmon. She glances to where Beelzemon is standing. She blinks as she notices the black wings and the green eyes that Beelzemon has, then a memory of a name tugs at her mind. "Blast Mode." She says softly.

"Let's get this party started!" Beelzemon shouts and kicks open the creepy doors. The Digimon move through the doorway before any of the humans, she glances at GuardiAngemon before studying the huge room they found themselves in. She freezes on seeing the tall, broody looking Digimon that's standing at the top of the steps.

She notices the two blue shoulder pads on the lower half of the body. The Digimon stands on four legs; she notices that a dark red seems to be the universal colour for GranDracmon. She can't see the mega's eyes since some odd looking helmet that reminds her strongly of bat wings, were covering his eyes. Matching shoulder pads rest on the more human looking part of the body. One of the lower pads moves and it yawns…

She's not the only one surprised at the yawn, she hears Yolei and Mimi yelp in surprise and Izzy say, "Prodigious." "Gross!" Ai and Mako say in unison. "We were wondering when you would show up." GranDracmon says and at which she just frowns; she doesn't like something that's in the mega's voice…

"Where's Takato?!" Sakuyamon snarls, disrupting whatever effect GranDracmon's voice had. "He's safe." GranDracmon says smoothly, once more she feels like there's something more going on whenever GranDracmon says anything. She glances out of the corner of her eye, she finds that some of the others were listening intently; she shifts her weight as she tries to figure out what's wrong with this whole thing.

"Where is **he**." Sakuyamon growls as the mega tightens their hold on their staff. "We don't know what you're doing, but it won't succeed!" GuardiAngemon adds furiously. This dispels whatever effect GranDracmon has on them yet again. "I don't get it; he's just standing there… What does GuardiAngemon mean by that?" Ken wonders out loud. "There's something about his voice…" She finds herself saying.

"This is a first. There haven't been many that have been able to fight the effects so quickly. I guess congratulations are in order." GranDracmon muses, she looks startled as she realises that's just what's been bugging her. It seems that the humans weren't the only ones affected. Their partners were pissed that it was affecting them as well as their human partners.

"It's quite ironic that a Beelzemon stands in defiance before me. I can still remember the first Beelzemon I corrupted… Sweet memories that." GranDracmon informs them, she's not the only one glancing over to where the Demon Lord is. Beelzemon looks extremely pissed on hearing this; she's not the only one that moves slightly away from the biker mega, the only ones that haven't moved were Ai and Mako.

She glances over to where Guilmon is, not sure what to make of the non-responsive rookie. She shakes her head and watches as WarGreymon and the other Digimon spread out in a define pattern, with the mega level Digimon out front with the ultimate level Digimon bringing up the rear. Though unlike the other megas, MarineAngemon floats at where Tai is, as the last line of defence. _'This is definitely going to be a rough battle.'_ She thinks to herself as their partners' fire off their attacks.

(-Rika-)

"_What is he waiting for? An invitation?"_ She says within her sphere. They've been attacking the mega for about ten minutes and the mega has yet to make his move. _"Something's not right…"_ Renemon says and GranDracmon says, "Crystal Revolution."

The attack hits Andromon, from the shared eyes of Sakuyamon she notices that the ultimate Digimon is now a crystal statue. _"That can't be good."_ She says, she feels Renamon agreeing with her. They move in close and whack the mega in the check; they followed up by using Dragon Helix in close quarters.

That got a reaction since GranDracmon cries out in pain. The smoke clears to reveal a slightly dirty GranDracmon. As GranDracmon's shark should pads up, but WarGreymon and GuardiAngemon attack GranDracmon physically. GranDracmon attempts to block most of the attacks, it seem that the evil mega's weakness is physical attacks. _"Not that surprising, he doesn't look too agile and seems to be more stationary."_ She muses within Sakuyamon.

"Eye of the Gorgon!" GranDracmon snarls and the shark pads open up to reveal sharp teeth and tongues. The beam hits Aquilamon, the flying Digimon's eyes go blank and GranDracmon orders Aquilamon to attack. They're soon being attacked by one of their own. "This is bad…" Imperialdramon says to their right. They just nod their head in agreement.

(-Ryo-)

Within Justimon, he curses within his mind as they evade DinoTigermon's Ground Fang. Not only did they have to deal with this freaky Digimon that heals completely given enough time, but they had to keep an eye out for Cody and Suzie. Even with Cody and Suzie's partners helping out, they were still having trouble with the single mega level Digimon.

He's privately glad that Cody's keeping watch over Suzie and moving about the battle field whenever it looks like they were about get in the cross fire. Suzie has been helping Antylamon by slashing a few cards, sadly, Digmon was as big a help as Antylamon, but then, Digmon has been making tunnels under their feet, even digging all the way through to the room under the room they're in.

"Thunder Clap!" They shout in their dual voice. DinoTigermon grunts slightly as the attack hits. "Bunny Blades!" Antylamon shouts and the attack hits the white furred mega in the left hind leg. DinoTigermon growls and takes a swing at the ultimate; this sends the rabbit Digimon into the closest wall.

"Giant Missile!" Two yellow missiles hit DinoTigermon in the left side. They turn to find MegaGargomon by the entrance of the room. "Henry! Terriermon!" Suzie shouts as the young girl waves her hands at the giant mega's direction. "Ground Fang!" DinoTigermon roars, MegaGargomon gets hit by the blunt of the attack.

"What a warm reception." Terriermon's voice says from MegaGargomon. "To true." He says as his voice over rides Cyberdramon's. DinoTigermon charges the new comer and MegaGargomon prepares for this. As DinoTigermon rears up to use his forepaws to attack MegaGargomon with, the green armoured mega Digimon is able to get a hold of the two paws.

The pair of megas then attempt to find out which of them were the stronger as they wrested with each other. "I wonder where the others are." He hears Cody muse as the two humans come to where he's standing, Digmon's over by Antylamon, helping the ex-Deva get up off the ground. _'Henry was most likely worried about Suzie, he is the protective sort.'_ He muses to himself as they cross their arms over their chest.

DinoTigermon's growls begin to increase as the cat like Digimon pushes MegaGargomon, then a sudden move from MegaGargomon, which he knows came from Henry's martial arts training, sends DinoTigermon into the hallway. "Mega Barrage!" MegaGargomon's dual voice rings out, they hear a cry of pain and then nothing.

Cyberdramon and himself unmerge from each other, Digmon and Antylamon also returned to their rookie forms. Suzie charges head long into Henry, giving her older brother a big hug. He just grins at the pair of siblings. "Doesn't that just give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside?" He looks down at a rookie. "… What are you doing here?" Cody asks finally. "I've been guiding people around." Petitmamon answers and he looks to where Henry, Suzie, and Terriermon were.

"So what's been going on with the others while we're here?" He asks. "Oh, well I think that they're already facing off against GranDracmon." The virus rookie says. He gets this sinking feeling that isn't going very well with them then.

)-(

It took them about hour and half to arrive to the room where the rest of the group is. He takes out his D-Ark and a hologram of GranDracmon appears.

**GranDracmon**

Mega level Digimon

Virus attribute

Demon beast type. Attacks are Crystal Revolution and Eye of the Gorgon

He glances to where Andromon and Lillymon were, the first attack explains what happened to them. The pair of ultimates were crystal statues, though it doesn't really explain why some of the ultimates were fighting against their friends. He notices that most of the others were looks extremely worried about something and they were huddled around Izzy and his computer.

He glances at Henry and the other teen just shrugs. "I guess it's time to join the party." He muses and soon Cyberdramon and him Bio Merge into Justimon, with Henry and Terriermon mimicking their actions a few minutes later.

(-Takato-)

He watches as Guilmon packs the 'earth' at the entrance of the tunnel he had Guilmon build. He grins as he begins to feel his partner as the virus moves pass the shield's boundaries. While the shield did extend to the ground under his feet, it does allow Guilmon and him to much closer then the four foot shield that's all around him, he figures that there's only a thin bit of shield under him, just going slightly into the ground.

He smiles and they then wait for GranDracmon to approach within this place where his mind is. He figures that he's body is somewhere being prepared for the force Bio Merging. He doubts that GranDracmon would think that Guilmon and him to find away around the shield, while the shield does prevent them from bonding on the level they previously had, it doesn't mean that they couldn't _feel_ where their bond if blocked, their bond still remains unbroken which means that they don't have to worry about rebuilding it.

He closes his eyes as Guilmon and him begin to synchronize with each through their feelings. By trying to synchronize, they were drilling holes at the edge of the shield, they were going to try and widen the 'tunnel' that symbolises their bond, it helps that Guilmon's directly below him as well. He knows its slow going and that they might not be finished when GranDracmon does appear to Bio Merge with him but it does help pass the time.

(-Tai-)

He wishes for the hundredth time that Lillymon hadn't gotten in the way of that one attack, or they might have a way to undo the effects of the attack Eye of the Gorgon. Luckily, none of the megas have been hit, but he couldn't say the same for about the ultimates and the single champion. The only one that's affected for the ultimate level Digimon was Angewomon.

It was the darn's thing, the attack would hit the angel Digimon, Angewomon would glow grey slightly and then the glow would vanish and Angewomon would still be herself. He's just glad that Sakuyamon's able to erect a shield which allows those not hit to attack GranDracmon without any problems for a good five to eight minutes. He's happy to note that GranDracmon is beginning to look beaten up which means that the damage is finally taking it's toll on the demon that kind of looks like a vampire.

As the shield fades, the mega level Digimon pull back, though MegaGargomon uses Gargo Missile on GranDracmon before retreating. The assault of the controlled Digimon begins, but as the smoke clears, he notices that something had occurred as a pole comes up from the floor, a purple light flashing at the tip. GranDracmon then begins to laugh.

As he and the other humans watch, GranDracmon's hind right foot steps on something. A click is heard and after a few minutes, a capsule rises up from the ground. "Takato!" Kari shouts, he grabs his sister, to keep her with them behind MarineAngemon. "You bastard! Leave my brother alone!" Kari shouts as Matt helps him keep Kari with them.

He thanks Matt silently for helping him keep Kari with them, knowing that they can't really stop what's about to happen. As the capsule opens and GranDracmon picks up the limp form of his adopted brother, Kari screams, "TAKATO!"

As GranDracmon glows, so does Angewomon. "Angewomon Digivolve too… Magnadramon!" He relaxes his hold on Kari as he just stares at the pink dragon that's hovering in the air. Izzy then reports from his computer analyzer that Izzy updated by using Takato's D-Ark a few years back.

**Magnadramon**

Mega level Digimon

Vaccine attribute

Holy beast. Attacks are Dragon Fire and Heaven's Claw

"There's a side note here too, 'this holy dragon Digimon servers evil with her great strength. One of the four great dragon Digimon, the mega form of a Holy Beast Digimon.'" Izzy adds. "Four great dragons?" Sora asks. "I think Megidramon's one of them. Ah, here it is." Izzy says.

He heads back to his position and reads the information. _''Of the four great dragons, he is the most evil and boasts the greatest destructive power. The supreme dragon of purgatory. This evil member of the four dragon Digimon howls with hatred.' Spooky, I wonder if that's why Takato and Kari are so close? Both of their partners are one of these great dragon Digimon.'_ He thinks to himself.

It was then did he realise that GranDracmon has yet to appear from within his black energy egg. "Where's Guilmon?" Joe asks and they all turn to where Guilmon had laid. "Where's Kari? Magnadramon's gone too!" TK's voice says from GuardiAngemon, he can detect a panicky edge to the tone.

"Oh well, Double Impact!" Beelzemon says, firing his guns at the dark egg of energy. "Give us Takato you bastard!" Sakuyamon says, Rika's voice dominating. He notices that those that had been under the effects of GranDracmon were coming too, that includes those that had become statues. He just runs his hand through his hair and watches as Izzy begins to analyze egg where GranDracmon had been.

Lopmon and Armadillomon Digivolve to join in the attack against the egg and Ai asks in curiosity. "Should they be doing that?" "It doesn't look like it's doing anything but allowing them to vent their frustrations, so I don't see any good reason to ask them to stop." He admits, guessing that those that had been controlled were feeling guilty and were pissed at how easily GranDracmon had been able to enslave them.

"It's not their fault for attacking us!" Yolei explodes and he guesses that Yolei is most likely feeling like she'd explode if she continues to remain silent. "I think GranDracmon has a lot of practice enslaving Digimon, he did mention that he did corrupt the first Beelzemon and the other demon lords." Joe says calmly. "It's just not fair! He turns friends against each other! And for what? So he can just to gain more power?" Mimi joins Yolei in her ranting. He sighs and decides that everyone needs to rant a little about what has happened so far in this battle against GranDracmon.

'_I'll just have to try and keep them from acting out.'_ Then he thinks. _'You have been come out of this, you four. If you don't I'll find a way to resurrect you and then kill you for worrying me silly!'_ He glares at the egg that has yet to be affected by the attacks of their partners.

(-Kari-)

She blinks as she finds herself holding onto Magnadramon's pink fur. "Where are we?" She wonders, only her lips haven't moved. "Heading to where Takato and Guilmon are." Is Magnadramon's calm response and she glances around at the multi-colour sky that they're flying through.

"This is so weird. How can I talk without using my mouth?" She asks her partner. "I don't know, it just seems that we can in here." Her partner says in slight amusement. "Well other then being here to rescue Takato and Guilmon, why else are we doing here?" She asks her pink partner.

"To keep GranDracmon from creating a higher form, for if he does then throughout the different realities, every GranDracmon will gain a way to access this form." Magnadramon answers. "Really? How do you know that?" She asks. "I think it's something I know… It's hard to describe how I know, but I just do." Magnadramon says, slightly confused about it herself.

She smiles slightly and she then decides to watch the odd sky. "Is there a reason why it has to be Takato?" She asks after they pass some kind of landmark. "Takato has something within him, something was expressed as he helped Guilmon Digivolve. While the Digi-Gnomes did help put Guilmon together, it was Takato that supplied the energy. Again, that's all I know." Her partner admits and she just sighs. She still wants to know what's so important about her adopted brother that led to all of this.

(-Takato-)

He glances around at the change of scenery. Guilmon's still underground and the shield is still up, oddly enough, he's yet to see GranDracmon. That kind of surprises him since he thought that the mega would be standing before him when the change settled.

"Good to see that we have some time to chat before he shows." A voice says and he looks around for the source. He blinks as he studies the lion Digimon standing before him. "And you are?" He asks the beast man that reminds him of a gangster. "I'm BantyoLeomon, I am the reason TK can Bio Merge into GuardiAngemon." BantyoLeomon says. "Oh." Was all he can think of to say to the mega before him.

"So, what is it that you want to talk to me about?" He asks after a few seconds. "Just to inform you that you can't let GranDracmon to change in any way. You have to focus on Bio Merging with Guilmon, don't try, you can. It's all in your head, remember that, Takato. Don't try, do." BantyoLeomon says and then vanishes before his eyes. "Ok, just how to I go about with the doing?" He wonders to himself out loud.

(-Kari-)

She spots GranDracmon struggling against what appear to be roots or some kind of tentacles that were coming out of the 'ground.' As they fly by, GranDracmon snarls and tries to free himself with renewed vigour. Not that it appears that he's having much luck, the mega is very ground bounded and the mega also doesn't have any attacks that would help him out of the grip of the roots or tentacles.

She keeps looking at the mega until the demon beast vanishes from view. She shakes her head, hoping that when they arrive, they will have time to free Takato from his chains before GranDracmon frees himself and appears to Bio Merge with Takato. Magnadramon continues to slither through the 'sky' which leaves her alone with her thoughts.

Her thoughts ranged from little things like what could happen in her favourite manga to wondering about Rika's reaction to Takato's advances. She while the scenery was interesting and all, she grew bored and she's trying to occupy herself, which was why she hadn't realized they were already where Takato was. It wasn't until Takato made a sound did she snap out of her thoughts and jerks her head in his direction.

"Ahhh, hey?" She says in an uncertain tone. "Nice to see you're back. So, when did Gatomon Digivolve into Magnadramon?" Takato asks. "Just a while ago, so where's Guilmon?" She asks the chained teen. "Underground." Takato answers. She just stares at Takato, not really getting what the other teen is saying.

"You mean that Guilmon's somewhere under you?" Magnadramon asks slowly and her adopted brother nods calmly. "The shield doesn't go four feet underground so we're within a few inches of each other right now." Takato says. She just shakes her head, it does sound like something that Takato and Guilmon would think up.

"Wait? Shield? What shield?" She asks as she slides down off of Magnadramon's back. She then walks up to Takato's position only to run into a barrier. "Oh, that shield." She says and Takato's eyes reveal just how amused the teenager is. She couldn't help but grin, she's slightly revealed to find Takato semi ok, but that doesn't mean that Takato will remain so.

Her grin dims slightly as she remember passing the mega level Digimon a while back. "What's wrong?" Takato asks quietly. "He's in here, we need to get you out of those chains and break you out of that barrier." She says, her expression becomes firm as she then begins to figure out how to go about getting through the barrier that's separating Takato with those he cares about. She closes her eyes and tries to see if she couldn't reconnect to that light that she felt when she saw Takato the first time.

(-Takato-)

He watches as Kari glow, he cocks his head to the side as he admires how much Kari has grown and he couldn't deny that Kari is a beautiful young woman and the glowing just adds and unearthliness to her as well. _'Add a pair of feathered wings and you got yourself a bonfire angel.'_ He thinks to himself as he studies his adopted sibling with a critical eye, already determined to draw a picture of Kari based off this moment.

He then glances at Magnadramon, still awed at the fact that Gatomon had finally Digivolved into her mega form. He sighs, wondering if he'll get to see the pink dragon Digimon in action against GranDracmon, if that odd lion man Digimon was right then that demon Digimon was here as well. _'I wonder where he is at this moment…'_ He wonders as he lets his thoughts wonder.

He pause as something unseen happens, he just feels that something has happened. _'I feel like something has been lifted…'_ His thoughts were interrupted as Kari falls forward. "Kari!" Magnadramon and him say at the same time, the pink dragon Digimon moves to check on Kari, he attempts to move, but he's still chained up.

"It seems that that's one thing I don't that to undo." GranDracmon's voice is heard and he glances behind him to find the demon beast coming his way. He blinks as he's surprised to find the demon Digimon looks worn out and slightly injured.

"How did you get here so fast?!" Magnadramon asks, clearly surprised that the enemy mega level Digimon was here at all. "Then let me introduce you to my newest slave." GranDracmon says and something comes up from the ground.

His first thoughts on seeing the creature was some kind of octopus or squid crossed with a really large bear. There didn't seem to any suction cups on the tentacles coming out of the beast's body, the longest ones were coming out of the back of the beast. The beast has a beak instead of a muzzle and really large unblinking eyes with the pupils being in the shape of Xs. The beast's colour changes and swirls about its body. The thing was kind of cool looking, he just wished they weren't facing it is all.

The thing clicks its beak before it attacks, the tentacles from the back move forward, Magnadramon scoops Kari's body up and leaps into the air with some of the tentacles clinging to the pink dragon's tail. Kari's partner roars in out rage, he shivers slightly on hearing the usual cat Digimon turned dragon Digimon roar.

He wasn't aware of GranDracmon's approach until the mega was by one of the pillars. He snaps his head to where GranDracmon's hand is, he watches as the pillar lights up and then slow does his chains. The other pillar then glows as the energy moves from the chains into the second pillar. Slowly the pillars begin to fade, then the chains fall from his body and vanish before hitting the ground.

Without intending to, he closes his eyes as GranDracmon reaches for him, he feels his heart beat within his chest and he cries out mentally, _"Guilmon!"_ His eyes open as a feeling of oneness envelopes him, he once more finds himself in his sphere with red background.

"_Guilmon…"_ He says and he feels his partner's pleasure and happiness. He feels tears run down his face, his joy emanating from him and into his surroundings. _"We were made for each other, Takatomon."_ Guilmon says and he couldn't help but agree with his partner's comment.

The surrounding world breaks apart, as does GranDracmon and the beast attacking Magnadramon. Soon he finds himself in a large room and he blinks as he notices Sakuyamon. He glances to Tai when his adopted brother is when Tai shouts out, "Kari!" He glances to where Magnadramon is and finds that the pink dragon Digimon still has Kari within one of her forepaws.

Tai and most of the Digidestine race to where Magnadramon had landed. The others that were Bio Merged unmerge and the Digimon also return to being rookie, leaving Guilmon and him the other ones merged and mega. Currently, he just wants to remain close to Guilmon, especially after having their partnership blocked off for the last few days.

Also, he watches Rika for a few minutes before glancing to where Joe is checking Kari over, he sighs as he notices who Sora is staring at. _"I think I really should lean a bit on Sora to get that love triangle settled. It's not fair for Matt and Tai's relationship to continue to be under all that strain. They're going to be stunned to learn who Sora likes."_ He mutters to himself from within his sphere, Guilmon hums slightly in agreement but mostly puzzled about what he said.

As one, Guilmon and him glances over towards the open doors, he frowns within his sphere as he notices a small group of Digimon. The small group bolts on seeing him glance their way. "I think we should be on own way, scouts have come and gone." They tell the others soon after the scouting group flees. "We really should be going." Ken agrees.

Guilmon and him part from each other, they return to being separate beings. He glances back to the door before he walks towards the group, he grins slightly when he glances at Rika. He glances to Sora and gives her a dry looks, Sora looks sheepish and he glances towards Matt and Tai before glancing back at Sora. Sora sighs and nods slightly, they'll talk later, privately.

He notices Ryo glancing at Sora and him, a questioning look on his face. He shrugs slightly before glancing towards Kari's limp form. "You're a Goth now Takato?" Terriermon asks and he just sighs as the others glance in his direction. "Terriermon!" Henry scowls at his partner. "Henry!" Terriermon mimics the level headed Tamer's tone and look.

Everyone chuckles and soon Izzy has the way out of here open. Suzie and Impmon's two Tamers go through the gate with Lopmon and Impmon. Tai carrying Kari with Agumon and Gatomon go through next, Joe and Cody with their partners, TK and Matt with Gabumon and Patamon, then Henry carrying Terriermon and Ryo with Cyberdramon, Izzy with Tentomon and Sora with Biyomon, Mimi walks through it with Palmon, then Ken and Yolie with their partners, and soon he's left with Rika and Renamon.

"Ready?" He asks the fiery red head. Rika gives him the once over before shrugging, he then surprises her by offering her his left arm. He smiles slightly, his eyes flashing with amusement at Rika's startled look. Rika rolls her eyes, but does take his arm. They walk through the energy tear without glancing back to where Guilmon and Renamon were. Once they come out on the other side, Rika lets go of his arm, he smiles slightly as Rika stands off to the side of the group. Their eyes meet and Rika looks away with a light blush on her checks. He notices that TK and Henry were looking at him and he just shrugs.

To be continued …


	21. Final Farewells

Twisting Paths of Twilight

I don't own Digimon

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"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Partner and Tamer talking within the sphere"_

)-( Scene change

(--) Different point of view

(-:-) Flash back

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Chapter 21

Her mind keeps replaying the incident where Takato offered her his arm before stepping through the gate. She sighs, wondering about his true interest in her. She knew that Takato had a crush on Jeri, back during the time they were just learning to work together to defeat the Devas up to their defeating the D-Reaper.

It hadn't escaped her notice the looks Henry and TK had given Takato and herself, she's kind of uneasy that people had seen how Takato had focused in on her. She lies in her futon in her room that she shares with some of the Digidestine, the girls to be precise. She glances to where the others lay resting, it was about midnight and after thinking it over, since she couldn't sleep, she gets up out of bed. She grabs her card deck and D-Ark, then leaves the room after clipping her D-Ark to her jeans and putting on her belt. She glances to her left to find Renamon standing there by the porch.

She takes a deep calming breath and then quietly makes her way to the front gate, once there she heads a few blocks away from her house. Once their far enough away, Renamon Digivolves into Kyubimon, she smiles softly as she climbing up onto her best friend and trusted partner's back. Soon the nine tailed golden fox Digimon moves swiftly through the streets, avoiding busy street as well as roof hopping at times to avoid being seen.

Kyubimon lands on the roof of the bakery and she climbs carefully off of her partner's back onto the slanted roof of Takato's parent's home and work place. Then walks cautiously towards the edge of the roof, she checks to make sure she's right over the balcony before leaping onto the balcony that leads into Takato's bedroom. She knocks gently on the glass window and waits for Takato to answer.

"Rika?" Takato says softly after opening the window, then he yawns, clearly tired. "We need to talk, Takato." She admits. Takato looks startled and the teen blinks a few times, clearly surprised that she's even here on his balcony. "Oh? What about?" Takato asks, looking more alert then he had a few seconds ago.

"Why did you do that, before we step through the gate? You've never shown an interest in me before…" She says, trailing off, not really comfortable about discussing this kind of thing. Takato presses his lips together as he stares off into the distance. "Didn't any of the Digidestine say anything? I mean, I though Kari would at least attempt to drop hints and such. I can see Tai taking you aside to 'talk' with you as well." The goggle wearing Tamer says as he frowns slightly.

She jerks her head in surprise, not sure if she doesn't believe that. "You mean you really are interested in me in that way?" She asks, stunned. Takato blushes slightly as his gaze lowers to study the wall under his window. "Well, I've had a few years to think things over and I've come to the conclusion that I would like to have a different relationship with you. I really like you, Rika. I wouldn't mind a chance to see if it can work." Takato admits, shifting his weight around, clearly nervous about her reply.

She blinks, she's touched that Takato's opening himself up like this; it really makes her uncertain on how to proceed. She looks off into the distance, her mind swimming with a lot of different feelings. She finds it really hard to say anything, she needs time to think about this and doesn't want to act rashly.

"I need some time to think about this." She's finally able to admit to the goggle wearing Tamer. Takato just nods in agreement as he says, "I expected nothing less, it is a large step, especially considering everything we've been through and how it'll affect our friendship." She smiles, relief that while Takato does seem to know what he wants, but he also knows that she needs time to consider things before they decide to take their relationship in a whole new direction for them.

(-Tai-)

They lounge in the park that's the usual hang out for the Tamers. He glances over to where their partners and Calumon, Petitmamon had disappeared when that energy egg had dissipated to reveal Gallantmon and Magnadramon holding Kari, were playing catch with a tennis ball. They were all waiting for Sora to say what she had to say, he also wondered why Sora kept looking to Takato for support.

"Ok, I know that some of you may be or may not be aware of the tension between Matt, Tai, and myself. I know I haven't really been helping to decrease that tension either." Sora finally says, he's not the only one to look startled about this conversation. "Takato's been aware of who I like for some time now, but I made him promise not say a word about who I've come to like as in _like_." Sora says after taking a deep calming breathe.

He glances to Takato, surprise that Takato would agree to stay quiet about something that big. _'Especially when Takato prefers for things to be resolved as quickly as possible before people feelings get hurt. I know that the fact that Kari and TK's relationship hasn't advance frustrates him to no end, especially when Takato worked so hard to keep me from having that 'chat' with TK right after that accidental kiss.'_ He thinks, he smiles slightly as he remembers how hard Takato had worked to get him to calm down and to stop freaking out about that kiss.

He glances over to his other best friend; Matt and him exchange looks before they look away. Sora shifts slightly and then continues. "I really didn't mean to cause any strain on any body's friendships, especially Tai's and Matt's. I am really sorry if I have misled either of you, I hope you can forgive me." Sora looks first at Matt and then at him

Sora then finally reveals who is her crush. "The person I like is Izzy." He blinks dumbly; if he wasn't already sitting down he would have sat down soon after hearing which of the Digidestine his childhood best friend has come to like as in _like_.

(-Takato-)

He spends time hanging out with Tai and Kari, though oddly enough, the link binding his home reality and his adopted reality. Something really unusual was happening with that link and because of it, the Digidestine have yet to return to their home reality.

So the Digidestine were edgy since they really did want to return home but found that they couldn't since the link between their realities is unstable. The Digidestine had taken up to either hanging out with the Tamers or finding other things to do. Oddly enough, TK seems to be hanging out with Henry and Izzy, he knows something's going on between those three, he just doesn't know what.

Kari and Yolei seems to be hanging out with Rika and Jeri, though if Mimi joins in with them, Rika seems to head off to do her own thing. Sora seems to enjoy hanging out at some of gym; she plays tennis most often then not while at the gym. Matt, Tai, Davis, and Ken hang out with Ryo, Kenta, and Kazu. Joe seems to enjoy studying medical text books his been borrowing from the local library.

He usual can be found at the bakery, his parents seem reluctant for him to leave the bakery and he kind of wants to reconnect with them so he spends most of his time at the bakery. The Digimon have taken to hanging out in the park without anyone supervising them, which could have gone badly if it weren't for the fact that Gatomon seems to be able to keep them from attacking the food vendors that attempt to sell food in the park.

Though that means that they visit the bakery more often then not when they get hungry. He grins as he remembers when the Digimon decided one afternoon that they were interested in helping his parents and him with the task of baking. They did a good job helping out, though sadly they tended to eat what they made.

So it's been about two weeks since Grandracmon has been defeated and the Digidestine were still around. He catches Kari's eye and his adopted sister smiles in a sad kind of way. He studies Tai's for a few minutes, he wonders if the elder teen was still affected by Sora's announcement about a week after GranDracmon's defeat.

Tai catches him staring at him and the bearer of the crest of Courage gives him a sad smile. He sighs slightly and then glances around to see if he can spot their waiter with their lunch. "Still no word about the gate?" He asks, breaking the silence between them.

"Nothing new, they have yet to figure out who this outside force is that's affecting the link." Tai muses. "I have to admit, I'm curious as to who's making the link unstable. They must have some reason to keep us here." Kari says and he looks thoughtful. "True, but who could do such a thing?" He admits. "It's most likely a mega Digimon." Tai muses and he nods in agreement.

Their lunch arrives after a few minutes of silence between them. They soon dig into their meal, each lost in their own thoughts. His head snaps to the entrance as mist begins to enter into the building. His eyes widen as he notices that a pair of Digimon glance around before glaring at them, already the other people of the restaurant were trying to get away from the pair of Digimon, they exit through the fire exits, soon only Tai, Kari, and himself were the only humans within the building.

"That's him! That's the one we're been sent to capture!" The insectoid rookie out of the two says, pointing in their direction. "Then get him!" The other scowls at the insect type Digimon. He ducks under the table as the insect Digimon uses a special attack.

He groans mentally when he notices that the table was bolted to the floor, which made it hard for them to knock over to slow them down as they bolt to the nearest fire exit. Tai rams the insectoid Digimon while Kari attempts to swing at the other Digimon. They bolt while the pair of Digimon try to recover from their sudden attack.

They find that the whole street is covered in mist and they just groan, he pulls his goggles around his eyes while Tai and Kari take out the sun glasses they bought with them just in case they run into a wild one Bio Merging. They races off in the direction of the park, they ignores the cries as they duck and weave as they attempt to put as much distance as they can from the gang of Digimon that were currently searching the street around the restaurant that they decided to have lunch at. He doesn't doubt that Rika and Ryo were on their way with their partners, since Cyberdramon doesn't seem to enjoy the company of his fellow Digimon when he's not Monodramon and Renamon… he just doesn't know how the yellow fox Digimon can teleport around.

'_They'll be the first ones to arrive.'_ He thinks as he matches Tai's stride, he can hear Kari running slightly slower behind him. He doesn't look back to check on Kari, he has to trust that his adopted sister can at least keep pace with Tai and him.

(-Rika-)

She glares at the pink fox Digimon that has scythe like arms. The Digital pink fox has blue mane and cross marking on his head. Kyuukimon is the Digimon's name and it's an ultimate level mythic beast Digimon. She watches as Kyuukimon uses Blade Twister against Taomon's shield.

She glances to where Beelzemon is going about deleting the horde of ultimate Digimon that were attacking him. She thought she saw Guilmon with Agumon and Gatomon heading pass her location, most likely heading to where Guilmon can smell Takato. _'Or maybe Guilmon is locating Takato through their bond…'_ She muses before returning her attention to the fight going on between Taomon and Kyuukimon.

Kyuukimon pauses in his attack and turns to look in her direction. She notices the calculating expression in the pink fox's eyes, before anything can happen though, Taomon shouts out, "Talisman of Light!" The attack causes the ultimate to forget about her and focus once more on her partner.

Without a second thought, Kyuukimon uses his Blade Twister to attack Taomon. She slowly lets go of the breathe she had unknowingly been holding when Kyuukimon turned to her with that calculating look in his eyes. She's reminded of IceDevimon when Kyuukimon looked her way, she shakes her head rapidly to dispel those memories of that particular Digimon and how it affected her.

Her face hardens as she pulls out a few cards from her card deck. She goes through them and picks one of them, she returns the others back into her card pouch. "Digimodify! SkullSatamon's Bone Blaster activate!" She shouts once she's done swiping the card through her D-Ark.

"Bone Blaster!" Taomon shouts once Kyuukimon stops twirling around. The attack hits the pink fox Digimon in the head, Taomon follows through with Thousand Spells, the last attack finishes Kyuukimon off. She blinks as notices that Beelzemon had mode changed into his blaster mode and has successfully taken out the rest of the ultimate level Digimon, Beelzemon glows and Impmon is kneeling on the ground taking deep breathes.

She puts her sun glasses away as the mist fades. "Rika!" She glances up to find TK riding on Pegasusmon, she nods at the blond Digidestine. Pegasusmon lands and TK motions for her to get on, he says, "Izzy says that they're congregating around the warehouse district. We think that's where they've herded Tai and them." Before she climbs on she attempts to pick up the rookie, but Impmon waves off her attempts and she climbs on behind the blond on the orange horse with golden armour.

"Taomon." She says and her partner replies, "Rika." Pegasusmon takes off once Taomon nods at the flying horse Digimon. Taomon disappears in a swirl of wind once Pegasusmon is about eight feet away. She nods once on noting her partner's decision to teleport away. It most likely means that her partner was already in the warehouse district, most likely observing what's going on while she remains hidden.

)-(

Once the others arrive, she calls Renamon. She had been observing the horde of enemy Digimon with her D-Ark; she had only been viewing what Renamon had seen. She smiles ever so slightly at the startled looks that her partner received when she appears in their mist.

"If this keeps up, I'll be having a heart attack before I'm twenty!" Kazu complains. "Then maybe you should lay off the fast food!" Terriermon comments and Henry just groans in reply to his partner's blunt comment, she just shakes her head, still amazed that even after all this time, Henry is still embarrassed by the rude comments his partner makes. _'It kind of reminds me of how Guilmon stills keeps calling Takato, Takatomon.'_ She muses to herself as she glances down towards the mist covered land below their vantage point.

She thinks about the leader of the horde of enemy Digimon, Matadormon. There was just something about how that one acted that reminded her strongly of someone, she just doesn't remember who though. She glances around the group, hoping to see Takato or one of the Kamiyas among their number, but she doesn't spy Tai or Kari.

"So, who are we facing this time?" Davis asks warily. "Some Digimon by the name of Matadormon, I think this guy just might have been GranDracmon's second in command from the way the horde of Digimon acts." She answers the remaining goggle wearing teen in the group. "The question is, if we take out Matadormon, will they retreat or continue to fight until we're force to delete the whole lot." Matt wonders out loud, some of the nod thoughtfully in agreement with what Matt said.

"Guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Ryo comments and they soon began to discuss what to do. She spares a thought about how Takato and them were doing as they continue to come up with a plan of attack. _'You better be safe, Goggle head.'_

(-Kari-)

They were currently hiding in a basement of this building that ended up on the receiving end of an Okuwamon X's Scissor Arms Omega Cubed attack. They were remaining quiet as squads of rookie and champion level Digimon move about over head, most likely trying to find their bodies under the rubble. They're most likely fortunate that the enemy Digimon thought them on the main floor or they would have already been founded by the Digimon searching for them.

Tai and Takato have both checked the window at the back of the basement and they were very slowly working to open it up so they can escape through the window while the enemy Digimon continue to search through the ruined building. She keeps watch from the front of the boxes that conceal their position from view if any Digimon comes into the basement.

She stiffens as a hand lands on her right shoulder, she turns her head sharply only to find Tai standing there, her elder brother puts a finger to his lips. She nods and Tai lets go of her shoulder, she notices that Takato's already out of the basement through the window. Tai boosts her up and Takato helps pull her through the window. They each grab one of Tai's arms and help pull the bearer of the crest of Courage through the window.

They creep away from the building, slipping down deeper into the alley, then climbing up the fire escape. They climb into the first open window and then walk quickly through the room to the front door. The slip through the door and head up the stairs until they reached the sixth level, they had started on level three.

They head out of the stairway and they check each room for a fire escape. They locate on their seventh try and they climb onto it. They climb down the opposite side of the building, they then keep to the alley way leading north east.

As they reach a bit of thinned mist did a shout of alarm can be hear echoing from their searchers as well as orders relating to finding them and capturing them. Their shoulders sag for a few seconds, having hoped that they might have at least been farther away before the Digimon figured out that they had escaped. She shrugs and they continue in the direction where Takato thinks the park is located, it's kind of hard to tell which direction they were headed in since the fog was so thick that it obscures their view for about five feet in any direction.

They still have their eye protection on as they navigate through the fog. From the few thoughtful looks on Takato's face, she doubts that this is natural Digi Field behaviour. They pause when Takato stiffens, then Takato charges forward with a great big smile on his face. "Takatomon!" Guilmon's childish sounding voice can be heard and soon the large red rookie Digimon is on Takato's chest, pinning her adopted brother to the ground.

"Kari!" "Tai!" Something lands in her arms and she smiles at Gatomon, she turns and notices Agumon's hugging Ta. Tai pats Agumon on the head as her brother says, "We're fine, Agumon! But how did you guys know where to find us?" "Guilmon lead us, he said he can feel where Takato is, so we followed him trusting that he'd lead us straight to you guys." Agumon replies as the dino Digimon lets go of her brother's waist.

She glances at Takato with an eye brow raised. Takato scratches the back of his head as he answers her unspoken question. "I was kind of following the pull to where I felt Guilmon was." "A very useful ability it is." Gatomon comments, praising the pair's ability to locate each other, which causes Guilmon to grin while Takato smiles ever so slightly.

"So now where do we go?" She muses out loud. Guilmon just shrugs and Tai looks thoughtful. "I guess we just sit tight and wait for the others to arrive." Her brother related through blood advices. "Guess so." Gatomon agrees. They then head off to find a defendable spot to wait at until the others arrive to rescue them.

(-Rika-)

As Sakuyamon, Renamon and her had off with GuardiAngemon to the north part of the warehouse district, they're job is to keep the enemy Digimon from fleeing in their direction or join the battle if a certain signal is released. Only those with partners that can go mega were giving the job of guarding points of entry and most likely emergency escape routes.

Matt with MetalGarurumon was partnered up with Kenta and MarineAngemon, Ryo and Cyberdramon as Justimon were on partnered with Imperialdramon, Davis, and Ken, which left Henry and Terriermon as MegaGargomon and Sora with Phoenixmon to guard an entrance. MarineAngemon and MetalGarurumon with Matt and Kenta on his back headed to the east Justimon and Imperialdramon with Davis and Ken in the protective shielded dome on Imperialdramon's back headed south, which left Phoenixmon with Sora and MegaGargomon to safe guard the west.

The rest headed into the middle to see if they couldn't take out the undead ultimate that's leading the horde of enemy Digimon that once served under Grandracmon. If they need help, they'll signal for it. Meanwhile, it means she's alone with TK, who just happens to also be Takato's best friend from the Digidestine dimension.

Within the sphere a slow smile appears on her face as she realises that TK would know every embarrassing thing that Takato has ever done while being raised in that dimension. She just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some good dirt about Takato. Once they arrived to an ok site, they deleted the sentries stationed there and stood watch; she slowly goes through ideas on how to start up a conversation with the blond who's the Digidestine of Hope.

)-(

The whole thing with the horde of Digimon ended kind of anti-climatically, though it did turn out that Matadormon was actually GranDracmon. So instead of deleting the mega, the virus Digimon ended up losing his current form and returning to his ultimate form. Those that had entered into the middle to fight the Digimon had signalled them when some of the strange Digimon with those Xs at the ends of their names began to DNA Digivolve with each other to become mega level Digimon., otherwise, they had things well in hand.

It took them about an hour before they remembered the Digimon in the downtown arrive were still there. They arrived in time to help defeat a mega level Digimon by the name of Metamormon. The mega Digimon had the ability to transform into different Digimon at will, some times even confusing them about which of the pair of Digimon was the original and who was just mimicking the partner Digimon. It took some doing, but according to Izzy, the chest is where the mega keeps his memory and that if they destroyed that, then Metamormon would be easy pickings. It was Suzie's partner that destroyed the memory system and it was Lillymon that dealt the final blow which deleted Metamormon.

That happened yesterday and now with Matadormon out of the way; the Digidestine had the go ahead to leave this reality. She watches as Kari and Takato hug as the gate materialises. Everyone is teary as the Digidestine step through the gate, Tai is the last one and the bearer of the crest of Courage glances at Takato as he steps into the energy tear. The shimmering gate closes and the energy vanishes, they drift off soon it's just Takato and her standing in the room. She places a comforting hand on Takato's shoulder. Takato turns and smiles sadly at her, then they walk out of the room and head to the elevator to get to the main floor so they can exit out of the Hypnos buiding.

She watches as Takato, Calumon, and Guilmon head to Takato's parent's bakery. She watches those three leave, she can see that the parting of the Digidestine affected those three the most. She kind of wishes that there was a way for Takato to visit his adopted family and his friends from that reality.

(-Takato-)

It's been a whole year since he last saw his adopted siblings and his friends disappear through the dimensional gate. A lot has happened in that year, he had to reconnect with practically everyone knew before the beginning of his second childhood. It had taken a lot of adjustments, but his previous relationships were once more running smoothly.

He blinks as he notices Calumon dancing in the air. "What's gotten into you?" He asks the white Digimon and Calumon only grins. "They're going to arrive any second now!" Calumon answers and he blinks as a gate begins to form in front of him. He feels Calumon land on his head and he smiles softly as someone he thought he'd never get to see again walks out of the gate. "It's been a while, huh?" He says. They only smiles in return.

To Readers:

I would like to thank all of you who have readed this story from start to finish, I especially like to thank those that took time to comment on the story. This is the first story that I tried to have 5,000 word average for each chapter, that was a challenge but I hope you guys enjoyed all of my hard work that went into this story. My next one isn't going to have as many words as this chapter had though. I need a break of doing huge chapters.

Here's a sample from my next story called Woven Threads of Angels, Goddesses, and Digimon:

"So you're Zor's uncle?" Naruto asks curiously. "I guess if you put it that way, then yes I am." Matt says while he begins to takes out old shirts he once wore when he was six. "Cool!" Naruto exclaims. "Where is Zor? Or did he head off to meet Ken?" Matt asks the young blond. "He went off to meet his other frather." Naruto says and then the young blond climbs onto a chair by the table, he glances in Naruto's direction to find the kid looking at the old cloths.

Naruto picks up an orange shirt and then grabs a pair of pants. Without saying anything the blond races off to put them on. He smiles and Matt chuckles slightly. "Cute kid, are you sure you didn't want to go shopping for cloths instead of letting him have these?" Matt asks. "I'm sure, bro. I've been on too many shopping sprees to last a life time." He says, he shivers slightly as he remembers the kind of shopping sprees Urd use to take him on. 


End file.
